Suspect ‘armed with knives and guns’ charged after shooting at White House correspondents’ dinner – as it happened
Donald and Melania Trump were evacuated from the White House correspondents’ dinner after gunfire erupted when a suspect armed with a shotgun, handgun, and knives charged a Secret Service checkpoint near the event. Hundreds of guests took cover as law enforcement responded, and the suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, was apprehended and charged with felony firearm and assault offenses. Trump praised the security response, noting one officer was shot but protected by a bulletproof vest, and confirmed the dinner would be rescheduled within 30 days. No major injuries were reported among attendees, and world leaders condemned the incident as political violence.
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02.12 EDTSummary of what we know so farHere is a wrap of what unfolded during a dramatic night in Washington DC: Donald and Melania Trump were evacuated from the White House correspondents’ dinner on Saturday evening after the event at the Washington Hilton was interrupted by gunfire. Hundreds of guests hid under tables in the ballroom as US Secret Service agents with guns drawn rushed reporters out of the room and mentioned “shots fired”. The Metropolitan police department’s Jeff Carroll said a suspect “charged a US Secret Service checkpoint” armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives, before he was tackled to the ground and handcuffed. He appeared to have been a “lone” gunman, Carroll said. The US attorney for the District of Columbia said the suspect had been charged with felony firearm and assault charges. The shooting suspect was identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, according to the Associated Press and multiple news outlets. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said the suspect was transported to a local hospital where he was being “evaluated”. News crews and officers gathered outside the California home of the suspect. Trump later said one officer was shot but was “saved by the fact that he was wearing an obviously very good bulletproof vest”. He praised the law enforcement response. The president said he would have preferred to return to the ballroom to give his speech but said the gala would be rescheduled “within 30 days”. Trump said the Secret Service did a better job than the assassination attempt in Butler. “He was fast,” Trump said of the suspect. World leaders condemned an act of “political violence” and expressed relief that Trump, officials and journalists were unharmed. Donald Trump is escorted out as after shots were fired at the dinner event. Photograph: Bo Erickson/ReutersShareUpdated at 02.13 EDT
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