SoCal man storms White House Correspondents' dinner with guns, knives

A 31-year-old man from Torrance, California, armed with two firearms and knives charged toward the ballroom of the White House Correspondents' Association dinner at Washington's Hilton hotel Saturday night, shooting a Secret Service officer before being tackled and taken into custody.

The attack — the third attempted assault on President Donald Trump's circle in less than two years — came hours after the suspect's family in Connecticut warned police about writings he had left targeting Trump administration officials, according to KTLA.

Cole Tomas Allen charged toward the ballroom during the high-profile annual event, KTLA reported. Security personnel tackled him to the ground, and shots were fired during the struggle. A Secret Service officer was struck in the chest but had been wearing a bullet-resistant vest.

"He's going to be great, he's going to be fine, and thank God he was wearing a bulletproof vest," Acting Justice Department leader Todd Blanche said on ABC's "This Week."

Investigators found writings suggesting Allen had planned to target Trump administration officials. "It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president," Blanche told NBC's "Meet the Press."

Allen holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Caltech and a master's in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills, where he graduated in May 2025. Authorities said he traveled by train from California, checked into a Washington hotel days before the dinner and had purchased two firearms within the past couple of years.

Family members in New London, Connecticut, alerted police to his writings shortly before 11 p.m. Saturday — the same evening as the attack. Allen was taken into custody uninjured and is expected to face multiple federal charges Monday.

President Trump briefly addressed the incident at a hastily organized White House news conference. "It's always shocking when something like this happens. Happened to me, a little bit. And that never changes," Trump said.

Blanche sought to reassure the public about the night's outcome. "He failed. Law enforcement did their jobs," he said on CBS's "Face the Nation."