The accused White House Correspondents’ Dinner gunman is identified as a 31-year-old man armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives who sprinted through a Secret Service checkpoint and attempted to storm a ballroom inside the Washington Hilton, where President Trump and other high-ranking officials were seated.
He was identified as Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California. He will be arraigned Monday in federal District Court, said U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro.
Mr. Allen’s home in Torrance was being searched by the FBI, officials said.
Mr. Allen will be charged with at least two counts: Using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.
The man fired one of the guns and hit a Secret Service officer, who was wearing an armored vest and survived.
The gunman was not hit by gunfire but was tackled by federal agents. He was taken to an area hospital for evaluation, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said.
Mr. Trump posted a dramatic video on social media showing the gunman bolt through a security checkpoint and metal detectors manned by the Secret Service.
The video shows the Secret Service immediately drawing their weapons and aiming at the armed suspect.
The president also posted a photo of the accused gunman face down on the carpet in the hotel, arms restrained behind his back by law enforcement.
“He charged from 50 yards away, so he was very far away from the room,” Mr. Trump said. “You saw the video of how fast he was running. He was moving. He was really moving. And the reaction time was great. Boy, those guys, they had their guns drawn, literally, by the time he was there. They were shooting. I thought they were very impressive.”
The dinner was cancelled and will be rescheduled within 30 days, dinner officials said.
