A California man has been identified as the suspect in an attempted shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday night.
the news agency Cole identified 31-year-old Thomas Allen as the suspect. Before a White House press conference following the shooting at the Washington Hilton Ballroom on Saturday night, President Donald Trump shared a photo of the suspect, along with a video of him advancing through a security checkpoint.
Trump said the suspect was “armed with multiple weapons,” and also confirmed that an officer was shot during the incident, but was “saved by the fact that he was wearing a bulletproof vest very well.”
“They pulled out those weapons so fast, they looked like Matt Dillon,” the president said of the moment Secret Service agents arrested the suspect who tried to outrun them. The president’s remark sparked some confusion online with some users on X wondering why Trump called out actor Matt Dillon while other users insisted he was referring to him. Gun smoke The character of US Marshal Matt Dillon, played by James Arness.
During a separate news conference, US Attorney Janine Shapiro confirmed that the suspect was charged with using a firearm and assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon, and added that there were likely “many other charges” to come.
While the incident is currently under investigation, it is believed the suspect acted alone.
The officer is being evaluated for injuries, as is the suspect, who was not injured in the shooting, according to Interim Police Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department Jeffrey W. Carroll. MPD shared that Allen was a guest at the Washington Hilton.
Trump and Melania Trump were escorted from the stage and evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner after a shooting Saturday night. The dinner was later cancelled, with the WHCA and Trump pledging to reschedule the event within 30 days, though Trump noted he “fought hard to survive, but it was protocol.”
“The guy’s been arrested,” Trump said of the suspect during his press briefing. “They’re going to his apartment. I think he lives in California, and he’s a sick person, a very sick person, and we don’t want things like this to happen.”
More to come.
