'Absolute chaos': Gunman charges White House Correspondents' Dinner checkpoint with Trump inside
The suspect in the shooting incident is in custody, the Secret Service said.
WASHINGTON -- A "lone actor," armed with a shotgun and other weapons, charged a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner on Saturday night and exchanged gunfire with law enforcement, authorities said, sparking chaos inside the ballroom where President Donald Trump and other dignitaries were rushed from the stage.
"It is clear, based upon what we know so far, that this individual was intent on doing as much harm and as much damage as he could," U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro told reporters at a press briefing Saturday night.
Speaking to reporters from the White House, just hours after the incident, Trump praised law enforcement for their quick response and vowed the annual dinner would be rescheduled within the next 30 days.
Law enforcement sources identified the suspect as Cole Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, who was working as a tutor.
According to law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation, the suspect is believed to have booked a room in the Washington Hilton, where the dinner took place, in early April.
He is declining to answer questions, but allegedly made some reference to targeting administration officials, but was not specific, the officials said.
Authorities have not yet specified a motive in the shooting.
Shortly before the White House press briefing, Trump posted a video showing agents take down the suspect, who he said "charged a security checkpoint armed with many weapons."
"He started running from 50 yards, and he was fast. He was like a blur on tape," Trump said of the suspect.
As agents engaged with the suspect, a chaotic scene unfolded inside the hotel ballroom. Officers in tactical gear with long guns jumped over tables, brandishing their weapons as the president and other dignitaries, such as Vice President JD Vance, were rushed from the stage.
Attendees in black tie and evening gowns ducked under their tables.
Rep. Nanette Barragan, D-Calif., said it was "absolute chaos."
"Heard the shots and had to get under our table," she posted on X.
"It is always shocking when something like this happens," Trump told reporters.
How the suspect was subdued
The shooting incident took place near the main magnetometer screening area at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, according to the Secret Service.
Local authorities said the suspect was tackled by law enforcement after an exchange of gunfire.
A Secret Service member was shot, but the bullet hit the agent's protective vest, Trump said. The president said he spoke with the agent, and he was in good spirits.
"I told him we love him and respect him and he's a very proud guy," he said.
Interim D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Chief Jeffrey Carroll said police believe the suspect fired at Secret Service but are collecting shell casings and waiting on ballistics evidence to confirm.
The police chief told reporters that the suspect was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives. Carroll said the preliminary information is that he was a "lone actor."
Pirro, the U.S. attorney, said the suspect is being charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. She said additional charges could follow.
The suspect, who was taken to the hospital after he was subdued, will be arraigned on Monday, she added.
Trump told reporters he believed he may have been the target, but when asked if the president was the suspect's target, Carroll said it was too early to tell.
"What his specific motivation was, we can't say at this point," he said.
Tense scene inside the ballroom
Saturday was the first correspondents' dinner that Trump had attended as president. He was scheduled to speak.
The dinner was underway and Trump, the first lady and other dignitaries were sitting at the main table and White House Correspondents' Association President Weijia Jiang were chatting with the dinner's host Oz Pearlman, when some attendees said they heard several loud bangs shortly after 8:30 p.m. ET.
Several lawmakers inside the room described the tense scene.
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., said he was at the bottom of the escalators from the lobby when two security people with guns drawn were "running through and yelling 'Watch out for crossfire!'"
"I got behind a pillar with another person then left out a back exit while hearing more commotion and police," he said.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who was shot at a practice for the Congressional Baseball Game in 2017, led him to safety.
"I personally want to thank Steve Scalise who grabbed me into a secure room," Moskowitz posted on X.
In a social media post, Trump praised the Secret Service for their work.
"Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely," he said.
In a later post, Trump said law enforcement requested attendees leave the premises and the the dinner would be rescheduled within 30 days.
"We very much wanted to continue it, because I don't want to let these sick people these thugs change the fabric of our lives, change what we do," Trump told reporters.
Trump said he was going to make an "inappropriate" speech, but said he might change it.
"I think I will be very nice, I will be very boring," he joked,
Jiang initially told the crowd at the Washington Hilton ballroom that the program would continue however she later told the crowd that they had to leave.
"I said earlier tonight that journalism is a public service because when there is an emergency, we run to the crisis, not away from it," she told the crowd.
"And on a night when we are thinking about the freedoms in the First Amendment, we must also think about how fragile they are. I saw all of you reporting, and that's what we do," Jiang added.
-ABC News' Katherine Faulders and Pierre Thomas contributed to this report
