The U.S. Justice Department has introduced a new charge of assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon against the individual accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House correspondents’ dinner held at the Washington Hilton last month. The latest charge, part of a new four-count indictment issued by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., accuses the suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, of shooting at a U.S. Secret Service agent at a security checkpoint.
Alongside the new assault charge, Allen faces three additional counts he previously encountered, which include attempted assassination, discharging a firearm during a violent crime, and illegally transporting a firearm and ammunition across state lines. Prosecutors claim that Allen, a 31-year-old from California, carried a shotgun and a pistol as he rushed past security in an attempt to assassinate Trump and other U.S. officials on April 25.
The indictment addresses the confusion surrounding whether Allen shot the Secret Service agent as he approached the ballroom where Trump and other senior officials were dining with around 2,500 guests. Initially, Trump administration officials reported that Allen fired at the agent, who was protected by a ballistic vest and avoided serious injury.
However, the initial charges against Allen did not directly accuse him of shooting the agent, nor was it mentioned in a court document filed by prosecutors on April 29 seeking Allen’s detention. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, leading the investigation in Washington, released surveillance footage showing Allen firing the shotgun at the agent, who then returned fire. Pirro revealed that a pellet recovered from the scene was linked to fibers from the agent’s vest.
The four-page indictment alleges that Allen used a deadly weapon to forcibly assault and interfere with the U.S. Secret Service agent while he was on duty. Law enforcement managed to subdue Allen after he fell down before reaching the ballroom, with no other injuries reported.
