Suspected gunman at Washington press dinner identified as 31-year-old Californian

The man arrested after shots were fired inside the hotel where the White House Correspondents' Dinner was being held on Saturday night has been named to the BBC's US news partner CBS by law enforcement sources as Cole Tomas Allen.

The 31-year-old suspect is from Torrance in the Los Angeles region, California.

After he was detained by security agents inside the Washington Hilton hotel he told law enforcement officials he wanted to shoot officials in the Trump administration, two sources told CBS.

Citing the sources, CBS also said that at least five to eight gunshots were fired during the incident. CCTV footage posted by Trump shows a person rushing past security officers, who then turn and chase him.

At a late night press conference, police said that security officials and the suspect exchanged fire, without saying how many shots were fired.

Washington interim police chief Jeffery Carroll said the suspect was not struck by gunfire but was taken to hospital for evaluation.

The suspect was a guest at the Washington Hilton hotel where the correspondents' dinner was taking place, Carroll said, adding that he was "armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives".

"At this point, it does appear he is a lone actor, a lone gunman," the police chief said.

Trump later posted a close-up photo shows a shirtless man on the floor with his hands cuffed behind his back with Secret Service standing around him.

Pictures later emerged showing FBI agents and police searching an area at a California address believed to be linked to the alleged gunman.

He worked for a tutoring firm in Torrance called C2 Education, two law enforcement sources confirmed to CBS. In December 2024, he received a "Teacher of the Month" award from the company.

It was unclear if he was still employed by the company. The Torrance Unified School District told CBS in a statement that Allen has never been an employee of their district.

The California Institute of Technology confirmed to CBS in an email that Allen graduated from Caltech in 2017, but provided no further details.

Jeanine Pirro, US attorney for Washington, said the suspect was facing two charges - using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.

She added that he would be formally charged on Monday in federal court.