US President Donald Trump and other top officials were evacuated and rushed to safety on Saturday night after a man armed with multiple weapons fired shots at the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner, hosted at the Washington Hilton Hotel. The shooting incident took place outside the ballroom where Trump, his officials, members of both parties, and guests from the media fraternity were present. Shots were fired ahead of Trump’s scheduled address, as he was the guest of honour.
The incident took place at around 8:34 PM local time (Washington) when dinner was served. At that time, Trump was seen having a conversation with Weijia Jiang, the President of the White House Correspondents' Association, and mentalist Oz Pearlman, who was scheduled to present a show at the marquee event at the Washington Hilton.
Thanks to the Secret Service, who apprehended the suspect and found that he was armed with multiple weapons. However, during the chase, one security officer was shot at but saved as he was wearing a bulletproof vest.
Secret Service officials and other security personnel covered the President, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and the Second Lady Usha Vance, who were seated at the head table, and escorted them out of the ballroom.
Several guests at the dinner, including leaders across the political spectrum, journalists, and other invitees, ducked under the table, apparently as a reflex reaction.
The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from California, has been arrested.
As per preliminary reports, it has not been confirmed whether Trump was on target, but the shooter wanted to harm officials in the Trump administration.
As US law enforcement and other agencies dig in further to investigate the incident, this was not the first time when Donald Trump faced a security situation.
Trump has survived two assassination attempts over the past two years – first at a presidential election campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, and later in Palm Beach, Florida, on September 15, 2024.
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