Video Shows Suspect Casing Hotel Before Attempted Assassination of Trump at White House Correspondents' Dinner
U.S. Attorney releases security footage showing Cole Tomas Allen, 31, storming Secret Service checkpoint with a long gun; agent wounded but protected by gear
Quick Look
- Attorney Jeanine Pirro released video showing Cole Tomas Allen, 31, casing the Washington Hilton Hotel on April 24 before allegedly attempting to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner the next night.
- The footage shows Allen running through a Secret Service checkpoint with a long gun as an officer fires at him.
- A Secret Service agent was struck but not seriously injured because protective gear stopped the bullet.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
This incident represents a direct assassination attempt on a sitting U.S. President at a high-profile political event. The White House Correspondents' Association dinner is an annual event attended by journalists, politicians, and celebrities.
A dramatic video newly released by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro shows Cole Tomas Allen casing the Washington Hilton Hotel on April 24, and then the next night, storming through a Secret Service checkpoint outside the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, where President Donald Trump was set to give a speech.
The video, which Pirro posted on X on Thursday evening, shows a Secret Service officer pulling his handgun and firing multiple times at Allen as he ran to and through the checkpoint with a long gun in his hands.
Pirro said investigators have found no evidence to indicate that a Secret Service agent who was struck by gunfire was shot by another member of law enforcement, but did not elaborate on that claim. The agent was not seriously injured because the shot was stopped by protective gear, authorities have said.
"Today, we are releasing video already provided to U.S. District Court showing Cole Allen shoot a U.S. Secret Service officer during his attempt to assassinate the President at the White House Correspondents' Dinner," Pirro wrote in a post on X, which contained the video. "There is no evidence the shooting was the result of friendly fire. The video also shows Allen casing the area in the Hilton Hotel the day before the attack," she said.
"My office along with the @FBI will continue this extensive investigation to bring Cole Allen to justice," Pirro said.
Allen, 31, is charged with trying to assassinate Trump and other crimes. Earlier Thursday, the Torrance, California, resident waived his right to challenge his detention in jail pending trial in the case in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., although his attorney said it retained the right to challenge it in the future.
Open Questions
- What was the specific motive for the attack?
- How did Allen obtain the long gun?
- Were there any co-conspirators?
