Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old man from Torrance, California, was arraigned Monday in U.S. District Court on federal charges tied to the April 25 shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, according to the Department of Justice.
Allen is charged by complaint with attempting to assassinate the president of the United States, transporting a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, the Justice Department said.
Federal officials said Allen traveled from California to Washington ahead of the dinner. Court documents cited by the Justice Department said he reserved a room at the Washington Hilton for April 24 through April 26 and arrived in Washington by train on April 24 after traveling from the Los Angeles area through Chicago.
The shooting happened the next evening, shortly before 8:40 p.m., as Allen approached a Terrace Level security checkpoint leading to the hotel ballroom, officials said.
According to court documents, Allen ran through a magnetometer while carrying a long gun. Secret Service personnel heard a gunshot, and an officer wearing a ballistic vest was struck once in the chest.
The officer fired multiple times. Allen fell to the ground and suffered minor injuries, but officials said he was not shot. Officers arrested him at the scene and recovered a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun and a Rock Island Armory 1911 .38-caliber pistol.
After his arrest, Allen was advised of his Miranda rights and invoked his right to remain silent. He was taken to Howard University Hospital for treatment and later released into law enforcement custody.
Investigators said Allen sent an email to family members and a former employer shortly before the shooting. The Justice Department said the message included an apology and was signed, “Cole ‘coldForce’ ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’ Allen.”
Law enforcement also reviewed firearm transaction records from California and federal databases. Officials said those records showed Allen bought the shotgun in August 2025 and the pistol in October 2023, and that the serial numbers matched the weapons recovered at the Washington Hilton.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Allen now faces “the full weight of federal justice” and credited officers who responded at the scene. FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators had worked on the case over the previous two days. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for the District of Columbia said there was “no room in this city for political violence.”
The FBI Washington Field Office and the U.S. Secret Service are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jocelyn Ballentine, Charles Jones and Adam Barry are prosecuting it.
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