California Man Arrested in White House Correspondents' Dinner Shooting Identified as Former Caltech Student

Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, was arrested on Saturday in connection with the shooting at the White House correspondents' dinner, according to law enforcement officials. Social media posts that appear to match the California man show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.

A May 2025 profile photo of Allen that appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody, posted on Saturday night by US President Donald Trump, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master’s degree in computer science from California State University-Dominguez Hills.

Allen, 31, earned a bachelor’s degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.

A local ABC station in Los Angeles included an interview with Allen during his senior year of college as part of a story about new technologies to help people as they age. He had developed a prototype for a new type of emergency brake for wheelchairs.

Allen contributed US$25 to a Democratic Party political action committee in support of Kamala Harris for president in 2024, according to federal campaign finance records.