An armed man was arrested after shooting a Secret Service officer at the Washington Hilton during the annual correspondents' dinner.
WASHINGTON — The White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner was abruptly thrown into chaos on April 25, 2026, after an armed man allegedly rushed through a federal security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton and opened fire during an encounter with U.S. Secret Service personnel.
The incident prompted the rapid evacuation of President Donald Trump and other senior government officials as law-enforcement officers moved to secure the hotel and contain the threat.
Federal authorities identified the suspect as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Allen allegedly approached a Secret Service screening checkpoint on the Terrace Level of the Washington Hilton shortly after 8:30 p.m. and sprinted through a magnetometer while carrying a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun.