**WASHINGTON** — An armed man charged a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton on April 25, 2026, during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, triggering gunfire, the evacuation of President Donald Trump and hundreds of guests, and the cancellation of the event.
The suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, was a hotel guest that night. Authorities said he was a Caltech graduate, tutor and video-game developer who had traveled from Los Angeles by train — a route that avoided airport screening — and checked in the day before. About 8:40 p.m., roughly 20 minutes after Trump and first lady Melania Trump were seated, officials said Allen rushed a terrace-level magnetometer with a shotgun, also carrying a handgun and knives, and ran toward the ballroom one floor below.
Secret Service agents intercepted him in the lobby area. Shots were fired. One agent, later identified in court papers as Officer V.G., was struck in the chest; a ballistic vest stopped the round. He was hospitalized and later reported stable. Allen was tackled, suffered minor injuries and was taken into federal custody. Investigators said they believe he acted alone. Guests ducked under tables as agents pulled the president, the first lady, Vice President JD Vance and Cabinet members off the dais. The hotel was swept and evacuated. Organizers briefly considered restarting the program, then canceled the dinner.
Allen was later charged with attempted assassination of the president and firearms offenses. He pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors said writings sent to family shortly before the attack referred to him as a “Friendly Federal Assassin” and aired grievances against Trump administration policies. The FBI searched his California background and communications. Trump praised the Secret Service and said he, Melania and other officials were unharmed. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche called the stop a security success while acknowledging investigators were still asking how a guest with long guns reached the inner checkpoint.
The Washington Hilton is the same hotel where John Hinckley Jr. shot President Ronald Reagan in 1981. The April shooting revived debate over screening at large political events. The dinner was later restaged in July at the Waldorf Astoria with a smaller guest list and airport-style checks. How Allen got that close remains a central question for the Secret Service and the courts.
