President Donald Trump has called for unity after a suspect was arrested for attempting to storm a White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, armed with multiple knives and a gun.
“I ask that all Americans recommit with their hearts in resolving our difference [sic] peacefully,” he said at a press conference in the aftermath of the incident, still dressed in his tuxedo from the meal.
The incident took place at the Washington Hilton on Saturday evening, where the annual event was being held. Journalists and press who cover the White House and the president are invited to attend the fundraiser and awards ceremony every year.
Trump has previously not attended the dinner, which usually involves poking fun at the US administration in power, and the US leader and businessman was famously the butt of a joke at the event in 2011 made by then-president Barack Obama.
President Trump thanked the Secret Service and law enforcement for their swift action to detain the gunman, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen. He is said to have told authorities he planned on targeting the president, according to CBS.
Here is how the dramatic events unfolded.
8.35pm: Gunshots ring out as Secret Service swarms ballroom
Dinner attendees described chaotic scenes when several gunshots rang out shortly after appetizers were served at around 8:35 pm local time. Trump was expected to give a speech shortly after an awards segment following the meal.
Reporters from The Independent, who were seated at a table in the back of the hall, said they heard approximately five gunshots before watching agents draw their firearms. Guests took cover underneath tables once they realized what was happening.
Secret Service swarmed the banquet hall, yelling at the president to get out of the way and demanding that people duck as people took cover under tables.
Trump and JD Vance escorted out of room
Video shared on social media shows Secret Service members, including those wearing tactical gear and body armor, rushing President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump off the stage.
Press and journalists took cover underneath tables and one woman, who was seated at a table with reporters, began crying, saying the incident was the scariest thing she had ever experienced, according to The Independent’s John Bowden.
9.17pm: President says gunman ‘has been apprehended’
In his first comments in the aftermath of the incident, Trump shared a message on Truth Social confirming that the alleged gunman “has been apprehended” at around 9:17 pm.
He suggested that the dinner continue, but said he would follow law enforcement’s advice.
“Quite an evening in DC, Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job,” he wrote. “They acted quickly and bravely. The shooter has been apprehended, and I have recommended that we ‘LET THE SHOW GO ON,’ but will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement.”
At around 9:36 pm, he said he would be leaving the hotel at the request of law enforcement.
10.29 pm: Trump shares footage of shooter storming security barrier
Trump posted a video to Truth Social at 10:29 pm of a man appearing to storm the security barrier and metal detectors in the hallway outside the room where the dinner was held.
The footage shows security staff pulling out weapons to stop the individual. Allen is reported to have shot one Secret Service officer before being detained. Reporters were told that the officer was saved by his bulletproof vest.
10.30pm: News conference held from White House
A news conference was held shortly after, at around 10.30 pm, at the White House. Mr. Trump delivered his comments, still wearing the tuxedo he wore to the event, from a podium alongside FBI chief Kash Patel and acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche. He called the suspect a “lone wolf”.
He said he thought that the sound of gunshots was initially a “tray falling” and argued that the Hilton hotel, where the event was being held, was not a particularly “secure” building. But the US leader praised enforcement officials and said his role was a “dangerous profession”.
“I was watching to see what was happening, probably should have gotten down even faster,” he said at the briefing. “Melania was very cognizant, I think, of what happened. I think she knew immediately what happened. She was saying, ‘That’s a bad noise.’”
He said the gunman had charged a security checkpoint armed with “multiple weapons”. He also confirmed the suspect had shot and injured one law enforcement officer, shooting him at close range, but said he survived due to a bulletproof vest.
10.50pm: Suspect named and property searched in Torrance, California
Various media outlets identified the suspect as Cole Tomas Allen at around 10:50 pm on Saturday. Shortly after, live pictures came in of police searching a property in Torrance, California, on the outskirts of Los Angeles.
The suspect is expected to be formally charged on Monday, according to U.S. Attorney General for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro.
He faces charges including using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on federal officers using a dangerous weapon, according to the Wall Street Journal. He was reportedly undergoing a medical evaluation at a hospital on Saturday.
