What we know about Cole Tomas Allen, man accused of shooting at White House correspondents dinner

Cole Tomas Allen is the man accused of charging a security checkpoint at the White House correspondents dinner Saturday night, Hearst Television’s National Investigative Unit has learned via sources.

Allen has been charged with firearms and assault charges.

Here’s what we’ve learned so far about Allen

• Allen is from Torrance, California.
• Officials say he is 31 years old.
• Security footage posted by Trump shows a man, alleged to be Allen, sprinting through the metal detectors and past law enforcement, who turn toward him with guns raised. Officers then swarm toward the man off-screen.
• Interim Washington, D.C., police chief Jeffery Carroll said the suspect was armed with a shotgun, handgun and multiple knives. He said investigators had no reason to believe at this time that anyone else was involved.
• Carroll said investigators believe that the suspect was staying in the hotel and that appears to be how he was able to enter the hotel at the time of the event.
• U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said the suspect is being charged preliminarily with two charges related to using a firearm and assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon, but that there will be many more charges filed “based on the information that we are learning in this very fluid situation.”

ABOVE VIDEO: Surveillance video shows shooting at White House correspondents dinner

President Donald Trump addressed reporters at the White House after he and other top leaders of the United States were evacuated from an annual dinner of White House correspondents on Saturday night after a shooting incident outside the ballroom.

The shooting suspect — described by Trump as a “sick person” — was identified as Allen.

Trump said the suspect was armed with multiple weapons, later identified as a handgun, long gun and multiple knives, before being stopped by Secret Service. One officer was shot, but he was protected by a bulletproof vest.

“He was shot from very close distance with a very powerful gun, and the vest did the job,” Trump said.

The officer was taken to a hospital and is expected to be OK. The suspect was also taken to the hospital for evaluation.

At least six shots were fired in the lobby that leads to the dining room where the event was being held.

“The fact that they just unified, I saw a room that was just totally unified, it was in one way very beautiful, a very beautiful thing to see. A man charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons. And he was taken down by some very brave members of Secret Service and they acted quickly,” Trump said.

The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the banquet hall as guests ducked under tables. “Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck.

A first-person account claims to have been inside a bathroom right near where the shooting happened and heard several shots fired.

Once evacuated from the bathroom, the witness said, they saw broken glass near the stairs, and a person lying on the floor, with lots of Secret Service around them.

White House Correspondents’ Association President Weijia Jiang said everyone is safe after the shooting incident. The event will be rescheduled.

All officials protected by the Secret Service were evacuated. Those in attendance included Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — and many other leaders of the Trump administration.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said he and his wife, Kelly, who both attended the event, were “praying for our country tonight.” The House Democratic leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, said, “The violence and chaos in America must end.”