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The individual who attempted to breach a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner seemed to have been aiming for members of the Trump administration, according to the acting attorney general. This alarming incident unfolded with Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old educator from Torrance, a suburb on the outskirts of Los Angeles, California. He was apprehended on Saturday night (Sunday AEST) after allegedly discharging a firearm while attempting to gain access to the banquet hall at the Hilton hotel, where President Donald Trump was notably present as a special guest.
Allen, whose professional background includes teaching and video game development in Southern California, was distinguished as “Teacher of the Month” in December 2024, as cited by his employer. This accolade highlights the contrast between his public persona and the actions he allegedly undertook.
Upon his arrest, authorities reportedly found Allen to be in possession of a shotgun, a handgun, and several knives. This disturbing cache of weapons led the FBI to conduct thorough searches of properties in California associated with him. Allen is scheduled to appear in court on Monday to face a series of charges related to firearm offenses.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche shared insights with CNN, indicating that President Trump was presumably among Allen’s intended targets. This revelation underscores the serious nature of the threat and the potential implications of the attempted breach.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told CNN that it was believed that the president was likely one of Allen’s targets.
“It does appear the suspect was targeting members of the administration. … We don’t have specifics yet about particular members of the administration, except that we do understand that that was his goal and his target,” Blanche said.
He said Allen “got off a couple shots” but was “immediately subdued”.
“From what we know from video surveillance and from witnesses who were there, (he) barely got past the perimeter,” Blanche said.
“He was immediately subdued, and, yes, he got off a couple shots,” Blanche said, adding the president spoke with the Secret Service agent who was hit in the chest while wearing a bulletproof vest.
Asked whether the incident marked a security failure, Blanche said he viewed it instead as a success story.
“The goal is not expected to stop every single thing, it’s to create a very safe and very secure environment, which is what happened last night,” he said.
“Make no mistake about it, the Secret Service did their jobs last night.”
Footage shows shooter storming security
CCTV footage posted by Trump on Truth Social shows the moment the alleged shooter rushed security inside the Hilton hotel.
More than half a dozen police and Secret Service agents were manning a security station near the banquet hall.
The alleged shooter sprints past, armed with a long arm, before security immediately began opening fire in his direction.
“He was moving, he was really moving, and the reaction time was great,” Trump told reporters.
He also posted an image without a caption, of a man being held on a carpeted floor.
“They seem to think he was a lone wolf, and I feel that too,” he told reporters.
“He was a guy who looked pretty evil when he was down. He was biting hard.”
Another photo taken at the scene shows a man covered with a foil blanket on the floor with his hands cuffed, overseen by law enforcement officers.
Suspect worked as a part-time teacher
A LinkedIn profile matching his name and photo described him as a part-time teacher at C2 Education, a test prep and tutoring company.
C2 named Allen the company’s “teacher of the month” in December 2024, according to social media posts from the company. When CNMN attempted to reach out no one answered a phone number for C2.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Allen graduated from the California Institute of Technology in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.
He received a master’s degree in computer science from California State University-Dominguez Hills last year.
Allen also described himself as a video game developer on his LinkedIn profile, and appears to have published an indie game called Bohrdom for sale on the Steam gaming platform for $US1.99.
He registered a trademark for the game’s name in 2018, according to federal trademark records.
Suspect thought to have worked alone
Interim Washington, DC police chief Jeffery W Carroll said investigators had no reason to believe at this time that anyone else was involved.
Carroll said that he could not say at this point what the shooter’s motivation was, and that it is too soon to know who the suspect had intended to target in the shooting.
US 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”.
Pirro said the suspect would be arraigned on Monday in federal district court.
Media have been seen at a house connected to him in the Californian city.
Trump called the shooter a “whack job”. and a “sick person”.