Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, was arraigned Monday in U.S. District Court on charges stemming from the April 25, 2026, shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, announced the Department of Justice.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said "Cole Allen traveled across the country with deadly weapons and a plan to assassinate the President of the United States," adding that "the swift and courageous response of the Secret Service officers prevented unimaginable tragedy." According to court documents, the plot was "a brazen attempt to assassinate the president and numerous high-ranking U.S. government officials."

Allen was charged with three criminal counts: using a firearm during a crime of violence, transportation of a firearm in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony, and attempting to assassinate a United States president. He faces the potential of life in prison if convicted.

According to court documents, on April 6, 2026, Allen made a reservation at the Washington Hilton hotel for three nights, from April 24 to April 26, 2026. Allen traveled by train from his home near Los Angeles to Chicago before boarding a train from Chicago to Washington, D.C.

At approximately 8:40 p.m., Allen approached a security checkpoint on the Terrace Level of the hotel leading to the hotel's ballroom. Allen ran through the magnetometer holding a long gun. U.S. Secret Service personnel assigned to the checkpoint heard a loud gunshot. A U.S. Secret Service officer, who was wearing a ballistic vest, was shot once in the chest. The Secret Service officer drew his service weapon and fired multiple times at Allen, who fell to the ground and suffered minor injuries but was not shot.

Before the shooting, Allen allegedly sent his family members what the White House is calling a manifesto, stating he wanted to target members of the Trump administration. Court documents unsealed Monday included an email Allen allegedly sent to family and others, which said, "Administration officials (not including Mr. Patel)" would be considered "targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest." He also wrote about his "rules of engagement," which stated he was not interested in targeting hotel security, Capitol Police, National Guard, hotel employees or guests. Secret Service, he wrote, were only targets "if necessary, and to be incapacitated nonlethally if possible."

The incident was the third apparent attempt on Trump's life since 2024, following the July 2024 attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, and the September 2024 attempt at Trump's golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida. This would also be the second time that the Washington Hilton was the location of a presidential assassination attempt, after the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan in 1981.