President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, and top administration officials were evacuated Saturday night after a gunman rushed the security perimeter at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and opened fire near the ballroom at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C.
The incident occurred shortly after 8:30 p.m., approximately 20 minutes after the president and first lady arrived at the event, where lawmakers, journalists, and invited guests had gathered for the annual dinner hosted by the White House Correspondents’ Association.
According to law enforcement officials, the suspect, identified as Cole Allen, 31, a teacher and Caltech graduate from Torrance, California, approached a security checkpoint armed with a shotgun and multiple knives.
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Authorities said he moved toward the ballroom before being stopped and subdued by Secret Service agents in the lobby area.
“The man has been captured. They’re going to his apartment. I guess he lives in California, and he’s a sick person,” Trump told reporters following the incident.
Police said one Secret Service agent was shot during the confrontation.
Trump said the agent was struck “from a very close distance with a very powerful gun” but was protected by a bulletproof vest and is in “great shape” at a local hospital.
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Interim D.C. Police Chief Jeffrey Carroll said the suspect appeared to be acting alone.
“But at this point it does appear he is a lone actor, a lone gunman,” Carroll said.
“There does not appear to be any sort of danger to the public.”
The dinner was underway when the shooting began. Guests inside the ballroom reported hearing multiple gunshots from a nearby corridor.
CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, who was attending the event, described the moment gunfire erupted.
“All of a sudden, I start hearing gunshots in the hall right near me,” Blitzer said.
“And the next thing I knew, a police officer threw me to the ground and was on top of me.”
Blitzer said he had stepped out of the ballroom and was heading toward the lobby area when the shooting began.
“It looked to me that the gunman who was firing these rounds was inside the security dinner,” he said.
“He somehow managed to get inside the metal detectors.”
Trump described the sudden nature of the incident. “I thought it was a tray going down, but it was a gun,” he said.
He added, “It was very quick. There wasn’t a lot of time to be thinking, because it was a matter of seconds before we were out the door.”
Secret Service agents quickly escorted Trump, the First Lady, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt out of the ballroom.
Other members of the administration and attendees were evacuated as authorities secured the area.
Video from inside the venue showed guests reacting as shots rang out, with people taking cover under tables and moving toward exits.
Officials said more than 2,000 attendees were present at the time.
A volunteer at the event, Helen Mabus, described seeing the suspect prepare a weapon near an entrance area.
“He was in that room […] he grabbed it out of a bag or something,” she said.
Mabus added that the weapon “was long” and “didn’t look like a typical gun.”
She said, “He put it together and […] ran towards the stairs to go down to the ballroom. It just seem like he was shooting all over the place.”
Mabus estimated hearing “at least 10 shots” as the suspect moved through the area, prompting immediate panic among those nearby.
Authorities said the suspect may have been a guest at the hotel.
The shooting took place near a magnetometer screening area used for guests entering the event.
Officials noted that certain parts of the hotel allowed access to escalators before reaching final security screening.
The event was initially expected to continue, but organizers canceled the dinner by 9:45 p.m.
D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said the suspect faces multiple charges.
“The defendant will be arraigned on Monday in federal district court,” Pirro said.
She added, “Make no mistake, there will be many more charges based upon the information that we are learning.”
The Washington Hilton has long been the site of the annual dinner. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who was present, referenced the venue’s history.
“I was hoping the room hadn’t been breached,” Bessent said.
“There were a lot of high-value targets in the room. The President and vice president were both up on stage – POTUS, FLOTUS, VPOTUS …”
He added, “This is where Reagan got shot.”
Outside the hotel, protesters had gathered earlier in the evening, holding signs and flags.
At least one protester attempted to rush the red carpet but was detained.
Following the incident, Trump addressed the need for calm political discourse.
“I asked that all Americans recommit with their hearts and resolve our differences peacefully,” he said. He added, “We have to resolve our differences.”
Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing as federal and local agencies continue to review the events surrounding the shooting.
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