(April 26): A man carrying a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives charged a Secret Service checkpoint at the Washington Hilton Saturday night, wounding a federal officer and forcing US President Donald Trump and members of his cabinet to flee the ballroom of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
The suspect, identified by a US official as a 31-year-old man named Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, was apprehended after exchanging gunfire with Secret Service agents in the hotel lobby, steps from a ballroom packed with thousands of guests, according to law enforcement.
US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro told reporters during a briefing Saturday that the suspect will initially be charged with two felonies and be arraigned in federal court on Monday.
Interim Metropolitan Police Chief Jeffery Carroll said investigators believe the suspect was a guest at the hotel. He was not struck by gunfire, but was transported to a local hospital for evaluation.
A Secret Service uniformed division officer was shot in his protective vest during the confrontation, authorities said during the briefing. They said he is in good spirits and is expected to recover. Trump spoke with the officer by phone Saturday evening.
Carroll said the suspect appears to have acted alone and that there is no ongoing public threat. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force has been deployed to the scene along with other investigators.
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