WASHINGTON — Panic was reported at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night after loud noises — later confirmed as gunshots — were heard inside the venue.
The incident occurred at the Washington Hilton, where President Donald Trump was attending the annual dinner.
Footage showed an immediate security response with aides alerting the president at the head table and agents rushing the stage amid visible panic in the ballroom.
At approximately 8:40 p.m. EDT, a lone gunman attempted to breach a security screening area outside the main ballroom. Witnesses reported hearing five to eight gunshots.
One Secret Service agent was shot at close range but was protected by a bulletproof vest and has since been released from the hospital. There were no other reported injuries among the approximately 2,600 attendees, who were instructed to take cover under tables during the chaos.
Authorities identified the suspect as Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old from Torrance, California. He was apprehended unharmed at the scene and was reportedly armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives.
Allen faces federal charges, including using a firearm during a crime of violence and assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon.
The dinner was immediately canceled and is expected to be rescheduled within 30 days. President Trump later praised the Secret Service for their “brave and quick” response in a press briefing from the White House.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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For a party that always warns about the threats to our democracy, they sure prove themselves to be a violent lot and I would submit that the left and democrats are part snd parcel to the true threat to our democratic representative constitutional republic.