Suspect in correspondents’ dinner shooting charged with attempting to assassinate Trump

The suspect in the security breach at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday has been charged with attempting to assassinate the president of the United States.

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Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, appeared at a federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., for his initial court appearance, less than 48 hours after he was accused of rushing a Secret Service checkpoint at the Washington Hilton hotel. Allen was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives, according to law enforcement officials. He faces three charges: attempted assassination of the president, transportation of a firearm and ammunition interstate commerce with the intent to commit a felony, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.

A Secret Service officer was shot in the melee, but was saved by a bulletproof vest and has already been discharged from the hospital, officials said.

Allen appeared in a blue inmate-style shirt and pants next to his lawyers. He spoke clearly, answering “no” when Magistrate Judge Matthew J. Sharbaugh asked if he was on drugs or alcohol and replying that he has a master’s degree when asked about his highest level of education.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said at a late-night news conference on Saturday that the suspect is also likely to face “many more charges.”

Allen has remained in federal custody since Saturday. His appearance in court Monday came after President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social page photos of the suspect face down on the carpet of the hotel after he had been subdued by authorities, along with grainy security footage appearing to show the suspect rushing at Secret Service agents, who drew their guns in response.

At an impromptu White House briefing Saturday night, Trump said Allen “looked pretty evil when he was down,” and called him “a sick person.”

A spokesperson for the California Institute of Technology confirmed to MS NOW the school has a record of a student by the same name who graduated in 2017 but said further information was unavailable. A photo of the suspect on LinkedIn shows him praised as “Teacher of the Month” at a college test prep and tutoring service in December 2024.

In writings published by the New York Post that he reportedly sent to family members prior to the attack, Allen said the administration officials were “targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest,” and that Secret Service were targets “only if necessary.” He did not mention Trump by name, but appeared to reference his anticipated speech.