‘Shots Fired!’: Inside the Pandemonium at the Washington Hilton

#masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }Shooting at Correspondents’ DinnerliveUpdatesApril 26, 2026, 6:06 p.m. ETWhat We KnowTimelineMan in CustodyInside the BallroomAnother Security Threat to TrumpYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.‘Shots Fired!’: Inside the Pandemonium at the Washington HiltonGuests dived to the floor and took cover as Secret Service agents climbed over tables to protect some of the country’s most high-ranking officials, including President Trump.Credit...Salwan Georges for The New York Times‘Shots Fired!’: Inside the Pandemonium at the Washington HiltonGuests dived to the floor and took cover as Secret Service agents climbed over tables to protect some of the country’s most high-ranking officials, including President Trump.Credit...Salwan Georges for The New York TimesSupported bySKIP ADVERTISEMENTListen · 11:39 min Share full articleBy Luke BroadwaterShawn McCreeshTyler Pager and Maggie HabermanThe reporters are White House correspondents. Shawn McCreesh and Tyler Pager were in the ballroom for Saturday night’s dinner.April 26, 2026Updated 6:07 p.m. ETA man armed with knives, a shotgun and a handgun was barreling through security at a full sprint, heading toward the ballroom at the Washington Hilton.At that moment on Saturday night, President Trump and many of America’s top government officials and journalists were one floor down, crammed into the ballroom for a black-tie dinner. The mentalist Oz Pearlman, the night’s entertainer, was leaning over Mr. Trump and the first lady, demonstrating one of his mind-reading tricks by trying to guess the name that the White House press secretary had picked out for her baby, due to be born any day.Suddenly, the look on Mr. Pearlman’s face changed to one of alarm. Several loud but strangely muffled bangs were going off somewhere in the distance. The first lady ducked under the table. The president stayed seated as Secret Service agents, dressed in tuxedos, surrounded him and began to draw their weapons.The pop-pop-pop that the crowd was hearing was the sound of gunfire before the authorities managed to tackle the suspect, who never made it into the ballroom. But in the moment, it was difficult to tell what exactly was happening. Guests dived to the floor and hid behind chairs. Secret Service agents climbed over tables to protect cabinet members and some of the country’s most high-ranking officials, smashing plates of spring peas and burrata that had been served only minutes earlier.As agents hustled the president out of the room, Mr. Trump appeared to trip or get pushed down. Vice President JD Vance was pulled from his seat by his shoulders. When agents grabbed Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, they briefly got stuck between two tight tables and had to redirect toward a different exit.The suspect, identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, Calif., was taken into custody quickly. And while the investigation is in its early stages, Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, said Mr. Trump was “likely” a target, along with others in the administration.<div class="css-7axq9l" data-testid="optimistic-truncator-noscript"><svg width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" aria-hidden="true" class="css-1b5b8u1" data-tpl="i"><path fill="currentColor" fill-rule="evenodd" d="M2.5 12a9.5 9.5 0 1 1 19 0 9.5 9.5 0 0 1-19 0Zm8.5…

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