The man suspected of opening fire at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night appears a far cry from an alleged criminal in a newly resurfaced video showing him aiding the elderly. Cole Allen, 31, was arrested after entering the Washington Hilton hotel armed with two guns and knives while approximately 2,600 politicians and journalists gathered for the lavish event. President Donald Trump and Melania Trump had just taken the stage with other cabinet members when shots rang out, causing chaos. Allen was quickly tackled and arrested by Secret Service agents, one of whom was struck in his bulletproof vest. That agent is expected to recover, and no one else was harmed.
Past Invention for Seniors
Nearly a decade ago, Allen's name appeared in the news for a much more positive reason: he showcased an invention designed to help senior citizens feel more secure in their wheelchairs. In March 2017, Allen spoke proudly to ABC 7 News, displaying his emergency brake made from PVC pipes at an 'Aging into the Future' conference in Los Angeles. The event, organized by St. Barnabas Senior Services and the Eisner Foundation, allowed attendees to test products aimed at enriching elderly lives.
'The wheelchair brakes tend to lock the wheels, but don't lock the chair to the ground,' Allen, then a student at the California Institute of Technology (Cal Tech), told the outlet. 'But with this device, that will prevent the chair from skidding at all.' He also posed in a photo with other young innovators at the convention.
Surveillance Footage and Arrest
Chilling surveillance footage from the hotel shows Allen dressed in all black, holding a gun. The clip, shared by Trump on Truth Social shortly after the incident, depicts security guards standing in the hallway until Allen charges past a checkpoint. The guards immediately drew their weapons and pursued him, tackling him to the floor and placing him in handcuffs.
The annual black-tie gala, which brings together politicians and journalists, had barely begun when the Secret Service was forced to act after shots rang out around 8:15 p.m. Several agents rushed on stage to secure the president and other high-level personnel, while others jumped into the crowd to usher cabinet members to safety.
Charges and Manifesto
Allen faces charges of two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. He is expected to be arraigned in federal court on Monday. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison for the assault, while the weapons charges carry a minimum of ten years and a possible life sentence.
Since the shooting, Allen's eerie manifesto has been revealed, indicating he is no fan of Trump. In the manifesto, which he sent to his family just ten minutes before opening fire, Allen referred to himself as the 'Friendly Federal Assassin.' According to the New York Post, the manifesto read: 'Turning the other cheek is for when you yourself are oppressed. I'm not the person raped in a detention camp. I'm not the fisherman executed without trial. I'm not a schoolkid blown up or a child starved or a teenage girl abused by the many criminals in this administration. Turning the other cheek when *someone else* is oppressed is not Christian behavior; it is complicity in the oppressor's crimes.'
He added: 'In order to minimize casualties, I will also be using buckshot rather than slugs (less penetration through walls). 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.' His targets included 'administration officials (not including [FBI Director Kash] Patel): they are targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest.' Allen wrote, allegedly referencing the president: 'I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.'
