Trump evacuated as shooter opens fire at Washington gala

n n

US Secret Service agents bundled Donald Trump from the stage as shots rang out Saturday evening at a media gala, in what the president later described as an attack by a “would-be assassin.”

n

Armed guards opened fire at the gunman who charged through a security checkpoint just outside the ballroom of the hotel where Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, senior government officials and hundreds of other black-tie guests had gathered.

n

People dived under tables in chaotic scenes as Secret Service teams swarmed into the glitzy White House Correspondents’ Association dinner held annually at the Washington Hilton in the US capital.

n

“A man charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, and he was taken down by some very brave members of the Secret Service,” Trump told a press conference at the White House shortly after the incident.

n

“They seem to think he was a lone wolf, and I feel that too,” he said, after posting video of the gunman sprinting past security as guards drew their weapons. The man was detained at the scene.

n

– Repeated security lapses –

n

Trump said one officer was shot at close range but appeared to not be critically injured. He added that the venue was “not a particularly secure” facility as questions swirled about the president’s safety.

n

Trump said at the hastily arranged news conference that he first thought the noise was a tray being dropped before he realized it was gunfire. He said he planned to re-schedule the media gala within a month despite the security scare.

n

City officials said the suspect, who will be arraigned in court on Monday on firearm and assault charges, appeared to have been a guest at the hotel. He was armed with a shotgun, handgun and knives.

n

“Law enforcement exchanged gunfire with the individual,” Washington police chief Jeffery Carroll told reporters. “A US Secret Service uniformed division officer was struck in his vest. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment. He appears to be in good spirits.”

n

Trump told reporters that the authorities have gone to the suspect’s apartment and “I guess he lives in California.”

n

FBI agents were seen outside a residence in Torrance, California late Saturday, according to an AFP photographer.

n

The area near the two-story, brown house was blocked off by police tape.

n

Multiple US news outlets identified the suspect as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from Torrance, in the southwest of Los Angeles County.

n

Asked about Allen late Saturday, the FBI did not confirm his identity and told AFP it had nothing to add beyond what was disclosed in news conferences.

n

A LinkedIn profile with the name “Cole Allen” showed a picture of a man which appeared to match a photo of the suspect shared by Trump.

n

The social media profile said Allen was a mechanical engineer, computer scientist, game developer and teacher.

n

– Glitzy annual gala –

n

During the chaotic incident, tactical teams with guns drawn took position on the stage where Trump had been sitting during dinner before he was evacuated.

n

Police surrounded the hotel, and helicopters hovered overhead.

n

The security breach occurred after the welcoming speech and during dinner, before Trump was due to speak.

n

Cabinet members were evacuated first as confusion and concern spread through the partying guests.

n

One administration official, Mehmet Oz, told journalists “shots fired upstairs” as he was rushed out by security.

n

Trump was the target of an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in 2024. A gunman fired several shots, killing an audience member and lightly wounding the president in the ear.

n

A few months later, another man was arrested after a Secret Service agent saw the barrel of a rifle poking from the bushes on the perimeter of the West Palm Beach golf course where Trump was playing a round.

n

The Washington Hilton where Saturday’s gala was taking place was the site where Republican President Ronald Reagan was shot by a would-be assassin in 1981.

n

The White House Correspondents’ Association invited Trump this year despite his repeated attacks on the media.

n

Unlike all other presidents from the past 100 years, Trump had never attended while in office.

n

The “Nerd Prom” — as attendees dub it — brings together journalists and the who’s who of Washington to raise funds for scholarships and awards.

n

The event often has a comedian joking about the president, who traditionally makes a few cracks of his own, though no comedian was booked this year.

n

burs-bgs/acb/aks/hol

n n