Footage captures moment a gunman emerged from a hotel doorway and rushed a security checkpoint while the US President was attending a press gala. Video / US District Court
Newly released CCTV footage shows the moment a gunman sprinted through a security checkpoint in an alleged assassination attempt on President Donald Trump.
The footage from April 25 at 8.36pm shows Cole Allen, 31, bursting through a side door and, in a matter of seconds, running through the security checkpoint,carrying a long-barrelled weapon.
A security agent points a gun at Allen, who runs out of the picture, and members of security raise their weapons and pursue him.
The video does not capture the moment investigators say the alleged attacker fell and was taken into custody, nor does it show the moment a Secret Service agent was shot.
“The officer was struck in the ballistic vest, but was not seriously injured,” a Secret Service spokesman told the BBC.
Investigators believe Allen had checked into The Hilton in Washington as a guest before the incident.
The gunman running through a security checkpoint. Photo / US District Court
Allen is in custody and faces charges of attempting to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, the BBC reported. He has not entered a plea.
US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro posted the CCTV video on X.
“There is no evidence the shooting was the result of friendly fire,” said Pirro.
There had been speculation online that it was not the gunman who shot the agent, according to the BBC.
“The video also shows Allen casing the area in the Hilton Hotel the day before the attack. My office along with the FBI will continue this extensive investigation to bring Cole Allen to justice.”
The moment after the gunman made it through security. Photo / US District Court
Allen also faces charges of transporting a firearm across state lines and discharging a weapon during a violent crime, with prosecutors saying he arrived in Washington DC carrying multiple deadly weapons.
In an interview with 60 Minutes, Trump later called Allen a “would-be assassin” and a “lone wolf whack job,” saying he had been “stopped cold”.
