President safely evacuated from correspondents' dinner after armed man charged security

President Donald Trump and other high-ranking administration officials were evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Association annual dinner Saturday night after an allegedly armed man attempted to charge through a security checkpoint into the event.

The agency later said all of its protectees, including the president and first lady, were safe, and the person involved in the incident was in custody.

Video showed a man charging a Secret Service checkpoint in an attempt to reach the ballroom where the dinner was taking place. Law enforcement officers could be seen immediately drawing their weapons to stop the man.

The suspect was identified as Cole Thomas Allen, 31, from Torrance, California, a federal official familiar with the case told NBC News.

Officials said he was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives. According to police, it’s believed the suspect was a guest at the Washington Hilton hotel, where the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner was being held.

At a White House press conference after the incident, the president called the suspect a “sick person.”

The president said one officer was injured but was in “great shape.” The suspect was also taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

Early Sunday, a source told NBC News that the Secret Service officer struck by gunfire had been released from the hospital.

Investigators said that given the number of high-profile attendees at the dinner, they could not yet be certain who was the target of the attack.

A chaotic scene in the ballroom

The president, vice president, top cabinet officials and members of Congress were gathered together in a ballroom at the Washington Hilton Hotel with members of the press for the annual event, the president’s first time attending while in office.

He was expected to speak during the event, which he has regularly abstained from in previous years, complaining of his treatment by the press.

However, soon after the event began Secret Service agents swarmed the ballroom, where some reporters, administration officials and dignitaries ducked under their tables amid the confusion.

Security stopped the event and ushered Trump and other officials out of the room. Other attendees, including most of the journalists in attendance, remained in the ballroom.

In the press conference at the White House after the event, Trump described the dinner prior to the incident as an evening of unity between the press and both sides of the political aisle. 

“I saw a room that was just totally unified,” he said.

He also praised the Secret Service and other first responders for their response to the situation.

The president said that he heard a noise but believed it was a service tray going down, but that he thought the first lady more quickly realized the gravity of the situation. He also said that the situation was personally “shocking,” even though he has previously faced assassination attempts or suspected attempts.

The Washington Hilton was notably the location of a 1981 assassination attempt on then-President Ronald Reagan.

Who is the suspect?

According to his LinkedIn profile, Allen graduated from the California Institute of Technology, a prestigious private research university in Pasadena, California, in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. The school, commonly known as Caltech, confirmed it had a record of a student named Cole Allen who graduated in 2017.

The LinkedIn profile indicates he obtained his masters of science degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills in May 2025.

After graduating from Caltech, Allen worked for a year as a mechanical engineer, before becoming an independent video game developer and later also a part-time teacher at a company dedicated to helping high schoolers get into college, according to the LinkedIn profile.

A former high school volleyball teammate described Allen as a “borderline genius” and “super stable.”

Allen attended Pacific Lutheran High School in Gardena, California, where he was known for his inquisitiveness and intellect, the former teammate told NBC News.

“Other people study hard,” said the ex-teammate, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear it could affect his career. “He didn’t have to study. It would just come to him. He was really, really smart.”

The FBI and Secret Service were at a home Saturday night believed to be associated with Allen in Torrance, a city of around 140,000 residents in California’s South Bay, about 15 miles southwest of downtown Los Angeles.

“We are aware of reports identifying the suspect as a resident of Torrance,” the city’s mayor, George K. Chen said. “While that connection is deeply troubling, one individual’s actions do not define our city.”

Chen said that the city stands firmly against “political violence, extremism, and acts of hatred in any form.”

Investigation continues

FBI Director Kash Patel said in his remarks that his agency had “rapidly deployed” onto the scene and took over the evidence response unit “examining all the ballistics.”

Patel said that this includes a “long gun and the shell casings.”

“We are conducting witness interviews as we speak,” said Patel, who called on anyone with information to submit tips to the FBI.

“No piece of information is too small, no piece of information is inadequate. We will evaluate it all. We will also be conducting interviews of those that were there, and if any of those individuals have information,” he said.

U.S. Attorney for Washington D.C. Jeanine Pirro said the suspect would be arraigned on several charges in federal court on Monday.

Despite initial indications the event would continue, the White House Correspondents Association president later shared that the event would be postponed so that law enforcement could continue its investigation. The president shared on Truth Social that he would work with organizers to reschedule in the next 30 days.

Worldwide reaction

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that he was “relieved” that Trump, along with first lady Melania Trump and others in attendance, were safe. “My thoughts are with all those who have been shaken by this disturbing event,” he added.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “shocked” by the scenes at the dinner. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said violence had “no place in democracy,” and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent his “best wishes” for the safety of Trump, Vance, and the first lady.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that “violence can never be tolerated anywhere in the world,” while acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez “strongly” condemned the attack.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a key mediator in talks between the U.S. and Iran, said he was “deeply shocked” by the shooting and extended his “thoughts and prayers” to Trump.