Trump shooting suspect indicted for assaulting Secret Service officer
Cole Tomas Allen faces another charge from prosecutors after a Secret Service officer was allegedly shot at on the night of the incident
The man suspected of the White House correspondents’ dinner shooting is facing an additional related charge for assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon, authorities announced on Tuesday.
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Cole Tomas Allen is being accused of firing at a US Secret Service agent at a a security checkpoint, comprising part of a new four-count indictment decided by a federal grand jury in Washington.
Allen previously faced three other counts of attempted assassination, discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence and illegal transportation of a firearm and ammunition across state lines.
On the 25th April, the 31-year-old man from California allegedly ran past a security checkpoint at the Hilton hotel in Washington Hilton, where an annual dinner for the press was taking place.
Allen has been accused of running towards the hotel’s ballroom with the intent to assassinate Donald Trump, alongside other senior administration officials who were dining with around 2,500 journalists and guests.
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Prosecutors claimed on Tuesday that whilst Allen rushed the security perimeter, he fired a shotgun and hit a Secret Service agent in the chest. He was found with several other weapons in his possession, prosecutors allege.
Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, said: “Today’s indictment underscores a simple truth: there is evidence this defendant intended to assassinate the president, and that he shot a US Secret Service officer after he traversed the country with a cache of ammunition to accomplish his goals,”
“The use of violence to register dissent is anti-democratic at its core. We will pursue the maximum punishment available under the law against anyone who travels to the District of Columbia to engage in such acts.
Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general said: “As alleged in today’s indictment, the heavily armed defendant rushed security and shot a Secret Service Officer in an attempt to assassinate President Trump but was stopped, thanks to the courageous and immediate response from law enforcement.”
This additional charge was not included on the initial list of charges against Allen, nor was in mentioned in a court document filed by prosecutors on April 29th, seeking Allen’s detention.
The video of the moment Allen allegedly sprinted through the security checkpoint was released by Pirro last Thursday – who claimed it showed Allen shooting the agent.
Pirro told CNN that a pellet that came from Allen’s shotgun recovered at the scene was intertwined with the fibres from the agent’s bulletproof vest. The agent sustained no serious injuries.