US President Donald Trump and other high-profile guests were evacuated on Saturday night after gunshots were fired during a media gala held in Washington, triggering panic inside the venue.
The incident took place at the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents’ Association, held at the Washington Hilton Hotel, according to witnesses and AFP reports.
Shortly after the welcome speech, shots were heard inside the ballroom, forcing security personnel to rush the stage where Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other officials were seated. They were quickly escorted to safety.
Hundreds of guests dressed in formal attire took cover under tables before evacuating the ballroom and moving to the hotel lobby and outside areas. Authorities later confirmed that no guests or dignitaries were injured.
It was known that a lone gunman breached a security checkpoint near the ballroom entrance around 8:36pm local time. The suspect was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives, according to law enforcement.
Security forces engaged the suspect and brought him under control. A Secret Service officer was hit in the vest but was not seriously injured, police said.
The suspect, believed to be a guest at the hotel, was taken into custody and later hospitalised for evaluation. He is expected to be arraigned in federal court on Monday.
US media reports identified the suspect as a 31-year-old man, though authorities have not officially confirmed his identity. Investigators said he acted alone, describing him as a “lone individual” whose motive remains unclear.
Meanwhile, BBC reports identified him as Cole Tomas Allen, from Torrance, located in the southwestern outskirts of Los Angeles.
According to BBC reports, Allen previously worked as a tutor in Torrance after completing his studies at the California Institute of Technology.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said a long gun and shell casings were recovered from the scene, and witness interviews are ongoing as part of the investigation.
Authorities have also launched a review into possible security lapses, particularly how weapons were brought into the venue. Officials noted that screening was present near the ballroom but not at the hotel’s main entrance.
Trump later said the response by security agencies was effective, stating that the incident was handled better than a previous assassination attempt on him during a 2024 rally in Pennsylvania.
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