Federal authorities are still searching for answers in the third attempted assassination of President Donald Trump, days after a shooter opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington.
Chaos erupted at the Washington Hilton on Saturday evening as guests reported hearing loud noises from outside the event just as it began. Videos shared to social media in the immediate aftermath showed the president and other members of his cabinet being rushed from the ballroom as Secret Service agents flooded the area with guns drawn.
Cole Tomas Allen, of Torrance, Calif., was charged Monday with attempting to assassinate the president, in addition to two weapons charges, including discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to court documents, Allen, 31, booked a room at the hotel for three nights and traveled by train from his home in Southern California. At around 8:40 p.m., less than an hour after the event began, Allen allegedly ran through a metal detector at a security checkpoint on the hotel’s terrace level. As he did so, Secret Service agents reported hearing a loud gunshot. One agent, who was wearing a ballistic vest, was shot once in the chest.
