Gunman Charges Security During Trump Press Gala
Prosecutors have released new footage capturing the intense four seconds during which a gunman burst from a hotel doorway and charged through a security checkpoint while President Donald Trump attended a press gala.
The CCTV video appears to show a security agent opening fire on the sprinting gunman, who raises a long-barrelled weapon, though it remains unclear if the suspect discharged the firearm.
The clip does not include the moment when the alleged attacker fell and was arrested on Saturday at the Washington Hilton, as investigators have described.
Charges and Investigation Details
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, faces charges of attempting to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner.
The US Department of Justice states the video also depicts Allen "casing the area" at the hotel the day before the dinner, which was held in a basement ballroom.
Prosecutors report that Allen checked into the hotel as a guest one day prior to the incident.
According to Acting US Attorney Todd Blanche, the accused was able to run down the hotel corridor before being tackled.
Charging documents reveal that one officer was struck in the ballistic vest by a single shot fired by the suspect.
"That same officer 'drew his service weapon and fired multiple times' at the suspect, who was not struck by the officer's bullets," said Blanche.
The defendant allegedly carried a semi-automatic handgun, a pump-action shotgun, and three knives as he charged past the security checkpoint.
Security Response and Evacuation
During the incident on Saturday night, Trump, Vice-President JD Vance, cabinet members, and other White House officials were swiftly evacuated from the hotel ballroom as gunfire erupted.
The video, posted on X by US Attorney for Washington DC Jeanine Pirro, appears to be a higher-quality version of a clip initially shared by Trump following the event.
It also shows the suspect walking down a hotel corridor on the eve of the gala and briefly entering the hotel gym.
Details from the Night of the Attack
The footage from the night shows nearly a dozen security agents gathered around a security checkpoint in a hotel corridor. Two officers appear to be setting up a metal detector.
A man wearing a long dark coat walks through the corridor and disappears into a doorway.
A security agent with a dog lingers briefly at the doorway before continuing down the corridor.
Moments later, the gunman, having removed his coat, re-emerges from the doorway and sprints through the metal detector. According to an affidavit filed by prosecutors, the coat concealed a 12-gauge shotgun.
The footage appears to show an officer drawing and firing his handgun at the suspect.
Injuries and Ballistics Investigation
A Secret Service agent was shot but not seriously wounded during the attack, officials say. The agent was protected by his ballistic vest, according to Trump.
Ballistics experts are investigating whether the Secret Service officer was hit by a bullet fired by the suspect or by other law enforcement personnel at the scene.
However, Pirro stated in Thursday's post on X: "There is no evidence the shooting was the result of friendly fire."
Secret Service Director's Statement
The director of the US Secret Service told Fox News on Thursday that the suspect fired at a Secret Service agent at "point-blank range."
"All the evidence that I've seen, the suspect shot our officer point-blank range with a shotgun," Sean Curran told the network.
"Our officer heroically returned fire while being shot point-blank range in the chest with a shotgun, he was able to get off five shots."
"It appears that the suspect hit his knee, while being engaged by the officer, on one of our magnetometer boxes and began to fall to the ground.
"That's what appears to be, and at that moment is when officers and agents were able to subdue him and pile on top of him."
Additional Charges
Allen faces further charges including transportation of a firearm between states to commit a felony and discharging a firearm in a crime of violence, both carrying maximum sentences of 10 years.
