Federal Indictment Charges Cole Tomas Allen with Attempted Assassination of President Donald J. Trump Following Washington Hilton Shooting

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia has returned a four-count indictment charging COLE TOMAS ALLEN, 31, of Torrance, California, with attempting to assassinate President DONALD J. TRUMP during the April 25, 2026 shooting incident connected to the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton.

Federal prosecutors announced that the indictment charges Allen with Attempt to Assassinate the President of the United States, Assaulting a Federal Officer with a Deadly Weapon, Transportation of a Firearm and Ammunition in Interstate Commerce with Intent to Commit a Felony, and Discharging a Firearm During a Crime of Violence.

The charges were announced by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia following a continuing federal investigation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department.

According to the indictment, President Trump was attending the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on the evening of April 25, 2026, when Allen allegedly breached a United States Secret Service security checkpoint shortly after 8:30 p.m.

Federal authorities allege Allen approached a magnetometer screening station located on the Terrace Level of the hotel before suddenly sprinting through the checkpoint toward a staircase leading to the ballroom area where the President was present.

Investigators allege that during the attempted breach, Allen fired a Mossberg Maverick 88 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, striking a United States Secret Service officer in the chest.

Federal authorities stated the wounded Secret Service officer immediately returned fire, discharging his service weapon five times toward Allen. Prosecutors stated Allen fell to the ground and was restrained by law enforcement personnel before being taken into custody.

According to federal officials, Allen suffered only a minor knee injury during the confrontation and was not struck by gunfire.

Investigators stated that at the time of his arrest, Allen was allegedly carrying a substantial cache of weapons, ammunition, edged weapons, and tactical equipment.

Federal authorities reported recovering the Mossberg shotgun with one spent shell remaining in the barrel along with a Rock Island Armory 1911 .38 caliber pistol. Investigators additionally recovered dozens of rounds of live shotgun and handgun ammunition, two knives, four daggers, multiple weapon sheaths, several holsters, needle-nose pliers, and wire cutters.

Federal prosecutors allege the equipment and interstate travel associated with the incident indicate planning activity tied to the attempted attack.

The indictment alleges Allen traveled across the country into Washington, D.C. while armed and carrying ammunition with the intent to commit violent acts targeting the President and senior members of the administration.

The shooting immediately triggered a massive multi-agency federal security response involving the Secret Service, FBI, Metropolitan Police Department, and additional federal protective units assigned to the event.

The White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner is considered a high-security national event due to the routine attendance of the President, senior executive branch officials, members of Congress, foreign diplomats, journalists, and other high-profile government personnel. Security protocols surrounding the event typically include layered Secret Service screening operations, controlled access zones, counter-surveillance teams, and heavily monitored entry points.

Federal investigators continue examining Allen’s movements prior to the attack, including travel history, digital communications, potential ideological motivations, and acquisition of weapons and tactical gear.

Authorities have not publicly announced evidence of additional conspirators at this stage of the investigation.

The indictment marks one of the most serious federal charges available under United States law involving threats or attempts against the President. Cases involving attempted presidential assassination trigger extensive federal coordination between national security divisions, federal prosecutors, intelligence analysts, and protective service agencies due to the constitutional and national security implications tied to attacks against the Commander-in-Chief.

Federal officials praised the rapid actions of Secret Service personnel and law enforcement officers assigned to the event, stating the response prevented what prosecutors allege could have become a far larger mass-casualty incident inside a venue filled with federal officials, media personnel, and dignitaries.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jocelyn Ballantine, Charles Jones, and Adam Barry of the National Security Section for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

As with all federal criminal proceedings, the indictment remains an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and federal court indictment filings in United States v. Cole Tomas Allen filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

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