Four days after Torrance teacher Cole Tomas Allen allegedly attacked the White House correspondents’ dinner in Washington, some facts are clear.
Video shows him running through a security perimeter at the hotel where the event took place. Authorities allege he wrote a “manifesto” explaining his plans to shoot members of the Trump Cabinet. He allegedly informed family members of his plans shortly before the attack.
But some key details remain unknown, including exactly what went down during those frantic seconds at the hotel and what motivated him.
What we know
- Charges: Federal authorities charged Allen, 31, with transporting firearms across state lines while traveling by train from California to Washington and with discharging a firearm during the incident at the Washington Hilton, where officials said a federal agent was shot in his ballistic vest. Asst. U.S. Atty. Jocelyn Ballantine said Allen “traveled across multiple state lines with a firearm” and “attempted to assassinate the president with a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun.” Neither Allen nor his attorney could be reached for comment. Allen was charged with attempting to assassinate President Trump.
- ‘Manifesto’: Officials cited a manifesto allegedly written by Allen in which he called himself a “Friendly Federal Assassin” and said he was targeting Trump administration officials “prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest,.” The note says, “I don’t expect forgiveness, but if I could have seen any other way to get this close, I would have taken it.”
- Message to family: Prosecutors also detailed an email Allen allegedly sent to family members just as he was preparing to breach the event perimeter, in which he allegedly wrote that top Trump administration officials were his target but that he was willing to “go through” others at the event to reach them.
What we don’t know
- Timeline: Allen was taken down by agents shortly after rushing past them and before descending stairs and entering a ballroom where Trump and other top administration officials were seated. But it remains unclear whether he fired shots before his arrest. A Secret Service agent was wounded, and officials have not conclusively determined who was responsible for that.
- Wounded agent: A Secret Service officer “was shot once in the chest,” according to the federal filing against Allen. That officer then “drew his service weapon and fired multiple times at Allen, who fell to the ground and suffered minor injuries but was not shot.” The officer was later treated at a hospital for minor injuries. Asked why there was no allegation Allen fired a round at the officer, acting Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche said the investigation is still in a preliminary stage with ballistics testing to be done. “We want to get that right, so we’re still looking at that,” Blanche said at a news conference. “As far as getting into exacting ballistics, I’m not going to do that today because it’s still being looked at and finalized.” USA Today reported that witnesses told investigators that Allen fired on the agent.
- Motive: The rambling “manifesto” offers some clues to a potential state of mind. “I would still go through most everyone here to get to the targets if it were absolutely necessary (on the basis that most people *chose* to attend a speech by a pedophile, rapist, and traitor, and are thus complicit) but I really hope it doesn’t come to that,” he wrote, according to the charging document. But the manifesto contrasts with the descriptions people who know Allen offered about the suspect. Allen is a Caltech graduate and tutor, and those who know him expressed shock at the allegations, saying he did not talk of violence or hold extreme views as far as they knew.
What’s next
U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew J. Sharbaugh, who presided over the hearing, set a second hearing for Thursday morning to determine whether Allen will be held in custody.
Times staff writers Kevin Rector and Ben Wieder contributed to this report.
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