A California man accused of forcing his way into a gala dinner attended by Donald Trump is expected in federal court today following a shooting incident authorities describe as a targeted attempt on the president and senior administration officials.
The incident occurred Saturday night at the Washington Hilton, where the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner was underway, drawing top government officials and members of the media.
According to administration officials, the suspect allegedly attempted to breach security one floor above the ballroom where the dinner was being held.
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Secret Service agents engaged him in a brief exchange of gunfire before he was subdued and detained at the scene.
Trump, who was swiftly evacuated from the venue by security personnel, later shared surveillance footage showing the suspect attempting to sprint past a checkpoint. He also posted images of the man handcuffed on the hotel floor after his arrest.
In an interview aired Sunday on “60 Minutes”, Trump was asked whether he feared casualties as guests scrambled for safety.
“I wasn’t worried. I understand life. We live in a crazy world,” Trump said.
Earlier, Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche told Face the Nation that the suspect was not cooperating with investigators and would be formally charged.
“He’s not actively cooperating. I expect that he will be formally charged tomorrow morning in federal court in Washington,” Blanche said. “We do believe, based upon just a very preliminary start to understanding what happened, that he was targeting members of the administration.”
Blanche added that investigators have yet to determine a clear motive. Officials said the suspect, who was staying at the hotel, was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and knives at the time of the incident.
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