Cole Tomas Allen, the man accused of targeting President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, faces an additional charge of assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.
The revised indictment alleges that Allen fired a shotgun at a US Secret Service agent during the incident on 25 April at the Washington Hilton hotel. The new charge is added to three previous counts: attempted assassination, discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, and illegal transportation of a firearm and ammunition across state lines.
Prosecutors claim Allen sprinted past a security checkpoint, aiming to reach the ballroom where Trump and other officials were dining with journalists. As he rushed the perimeter, he allegedly shot an agent in the chest, though the agent's bulletproof vest prevented serious injury.
US Attorney Jeanine Pirro stated, 'There is evidence this defendant intended to assassinate the president, and that he shot a US Secret Service officer.' Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche praised law enforcement's response for stopping the heavily armed suspect.
Video footage released by Pirro shows the moment Allen charged the checkpoint, and a pellet from his shotgun was reportedly found intertwined with fibres from the agent's vest.
