The man accused of open firing at a Washington gala faces life in prison after being charged with attempting to assassinate the US President.
What is known about alleged Trump gunman Cole Allen
Cole Allen, a Caltech engineering graduate and teacher, had travelled from his home in Torrance, California, allegedly to carry out the…
The man accused of open firing at a Washington media gala has been charged with attempting to assassinate the US President.
Cole Tomas Allen allegedly ran through a security checkpoint and exchanged gunfire with law enforcement at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner attended by Donald Trump and other officials, at the Hilton hotel in Washington on Saturday night.
The 31-year-old Californian man made his first appearance at a federal court in Washington on Monday, where he was charged with three felony counts of attempted assassination of the President of the United States, transportation of a firearm and ammunition over state lines with the intent to commit a felony and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.
He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.
Cole Allen is accused of open firing at a Washington media gala. Picture: Facebook
Allen, who wore a short-sleeve light blue jumpsuit during the brief appearance, did not enter a plea at the hearing.
He will remain in police custody until Thursday, when he will appear before a bail hearing.
Prosecutors told the court Allen was carrying a pump-action shotgun, a semiautomatic pistol and three knives when he tried to break through security at the hotel.
“Make no mistake, this was an attempted assassination of the president of the United States, with the defendant making clear what his intent was,” Jeanine Pirro, the US Attorney for the District of Columbia, said at a press conference on Monday.
“And that intent was to bring down as many of the high-ranking cabinet officials as he could.”
A courtroom sketch depicting Cole Tomas Allen, left, the California man arrested in the shooting incident at the correspondents dinner in Washington, seen appearing before Magistrate Judge Matthew J. Sharbaugh, in federal court. Picture: Dana Verkouteren/AP
Allen, 31, faces a sentence of up to life in prison if convicted of attempting to kill Mr Trump. Picture: Truth Social/ @REALDONALDTRUMP/AFP
Several shots were fired before he was subdued in a chaotic encounter near a checkpoint.
He never got close to Mr Trump or the other guests attending the large-scale dinner event on a lower floor.
According to The New York Post, Allen had written in a message shared with his family shortly before the attack that his targets would be “prioritised from highest-ranking to lowest”.
Administration officials say the attack was the third attempt on Mr Trump’s life in two years.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, First Lady Melania Trump and US President Donald Trump at the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner. Picture: Nathan Howard/Getty
Agents draw their guns after loud bangs were heard during the White House Correspondents’ dinner. Picture: Mandel NGAN / AFP
Bullet hit agents bulletproof vest
On Saturday, Mr Trump was rushed out of the venue by Secret Service agents after the sound of gunshots erupted.
Video footage showed the gunman managed to sprint past the first line of security. No one was killed, but a bullet struck one agent’s bulletproof vest, officials say.
In a CBS interview on Sunday evening, Mr Trump was asked if he feared there would be casualties as Washington’s government and media elite ducked for cover at the black-tie dinner downstairs.
“I wasn’t worried. I understand life. We live in a crazy world,” Mr Trump said.
The US President said he “wasn’t making it easy” for agents to evacuate him from the room.
“I wanted to see what was happening … I wanted to see what was going on. And by that time we started to realise, maybe it was a bad problem.”
US Secret Service agents surround President Donald Trump before he was taken from the stage. Picture: AP/Alex Brandon
The attack was the third attempt on Mr Trump’s life in two years. Picture: AP/Alex Brandon
An image of a firearm is displayed during a news conference at Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, DC, on April 27, 2026. Picture: Annabelle Gordon / AFP
The US President said at a hastily arranged late-night news conference at the White House that he first thought the noise was a tray being dropped, before realising it was gunfire.
He said he hoped the gala would be rescheduled within a month, adding that the hotel venue was “not a particularly secure” facility, as questions swirled about the president’s safety protocols.
President Trump rushed off stage after alleged attack at white house dinner
A suspect has been shot…
The hotel has hosted gala dinners for the White House Correspondents Association for decades without incident.
The WHCA always invites sitting presidents to attend, but Saturday was the first time Mr Trump had accepted.
More Coverage
Mr Trump was the target of an assassination attempt during a presidential campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024. A gunman fired several shots, killing an audience member and lightly wounding the president in the ear.
A few months later, another man was arrested after a Secret Service agent saw the barrel of a rifle poking from the bushes on the perimeter of the West Palm Beach golf course where Mr Trump was playing a round.
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