Cole Tomas Allen indicted on 4 federal counts in connection with shooting at WH media dinner

A California man has been indicted on four federal counts, including attempted assassination of President Donald Trump, in connection with a shooting at the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on April 25, 2026, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro announced.

Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, was charged in U.S. District Court with attempt to assassinate the president, assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon, transporting a firearm and ammunition across state lines with intent to commit a felony, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, according to the indictment returned by a federal grand jury.

The April 25, 2026, dinner was underway at the Washington Hilton when Allen approached a U.S. Secret Service security screening checkpoint on the hotel’s Terrace Level shortly after 8:30 p.m., prosecutors said. Allen sprinted through a magnetometer and ran toward a staircase leading to the ballroom where President Trump was located, according to court documents.

As he ran, Allen fired a Mossberg Maverick 88 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, striking a Secret Service officer once in the chest, prosecutors said. The officer drew his service weapon and fired five times at Allen, who fell to the ground and was taken into custody. Allen suffered a minor knee injury but was not struck by gunfire, according to prosecutors.

At the time of his arrest, Allen was found in possession of the shotgun with one spent cartridge in the barrel, a Rock Island Armory 1911 .38 caliber pistol, dozens of rounds of unspent shotgun and pistol ammunition, two knives, four daggers, multiple sheaths and holsters, needle nose pliers, and wire cutters, prosecutors said.

“Today’s indictment underscores a simple truth: there is evidence this defendant intended to assassinate the president,” Pirro said, adding that Allen “traversed the country with a cache of ammunition to accomplish his goals.”

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Allen “rushed security and shot a Secret Service officer in an attempt to assassinate President Trump” but was stopped by law enforcement. FBI Director Kash Patel said Allen traveled to Washington “attempting to assassinate President Trump and senior members of his administration,” and said the FBI had been working “24/7” on the case since the night of the attack.

The investigation is being conducted by the FBI Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jocelyn Ballantine, Charles Jones, and Adam Barry of the National Security Section.

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