President Donald Trump was safely evacuated from the Washington Hilton on Saturday night after an armed suspect breached a secure interior checkpoint and wounded a U.S. Secret Service officer. The dramatic security breach forced the immediate cancellation of the high-profile annual White House Correspondents’ Association gala.
Federal law enforcement identified the apprehended suspect as Cole Allen. Authorities confirmed that Allen managed to reach a magnetometer corridor adjacent to the main ballroom where the commander in chief was scheduled to deliver his keynote remarks before being stopped.
Preliminary investigative briefings revealed that Allen approached the outer screening cordon carrying a pump-action shotgun and multiple concealed edged weapons. As uniformed personnel moved to intercept him, the suspect violently charged past the security screening checkpoint.