Man Shotguns Secret Service Agent at White House Dinner

0:00It's April 27. Welcome to U.S. News Today, powered by AI and covering the nation. A 31-year-old man from Torrance, California named Cole Thomas Allen faces federal charges after allegedly shooting at a secret service agent. During the White House Correspondence Association dinner on Saturday, he tried to breach security at the Washington Hilton where President Trump was speaking, but got tackled and arrested right away. Allen traveled by train from the West Coast and booked a room at the hotel ahead of time. Officials say he left behind a manifesto calling himself the friendly federal assassin and naming top Trump officials as targets, possibly including the President himself. Prosecutors planned to hit him with assault on a federal officer and fire arm charges, with attempted assassinations still on the table. The incident sent shockwaves through the black-tie crowd of journalists and politicians who dove under tables as shots rang out. Trump got rushed off-stage by security before his full speech, turning a high-profile night into pure chaos.

1:02According to authorities, Allen fired a shotgun at an agent near a checkpoint, but the bulletproof vest saved the day and the agent walked out of the hospital hours later. He was also carrying a handgun and several knives and ended up getting checked out medically, too. Allen heads to federal court in Washington on Monday for a quick first hearing, where Judge will read him his rights and prosecutors will push to. Keep him locked up. The probe continues, so expect more details soon.