Shocking Footage: Trump Dinner Gunman Breaches Security in Just 4 Seconds

According to new footage released by prosecutors, while President Donald Trump was attending a press gala, a gunman emerged from a hotel doorway and sped past a security checkpoint in just four seconds.

The CCTV video appears to show a security agent firing in the direction of the sprinting gunman—who is holding a long-barreled weapon—though it remains unclear whether a shot was actually fired.

The clip does not show the sequence in which, according to investigators, the alleged attacker fell at the Washington Hilton on Saturday and was subsequently arrested.

31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen is charged with attempting to assassinate President Trump during the White House Correspondents' Association dinner. He has not yet entered a plea.

The U.S. Department of Justice states that the video also depicts Allen "conducting a reconnaissance of the area" at the hotel the day before the dinner, when he allegedly checked in as a guest.

According to prosecutors, he was seen walking down a hallway at the Washington Hilton and entering the hotel gym on the eve of the gala.

The accused is alleged to have been carrying a semi-automatic handgun, a pump-action shotgun, and three knives as he passed through a terrace level—located one floor above the basement ballroom where the high-profile press gala was taking place.

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Following the sound of gunfire, President Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, Cabinet members, and other White House officials were immediately and safely evacuated from the scene. This new video, posted on Thursday on X by Washington D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, appears to be a higher-quality version of a clip shared by Trump on social media following Saturday's incident.

In this fresh footage, approximately a dozen security agents are seen gathered around a hotel security checkpoint.

A man, wearing a long, dark coat, walks down the hallway and disappears behind a door.

Moments later, the gunman re-emerges—having removed his coat—and rushes through a metal detector; both his hands are resting on what appears to be a firearm.

According to an affidavit filed by prosecutors, a 12-gauge shotgun was concealed beneath his coat.

The footage appears to show an officer firing his handgun at the suspect. Prosecutors have stated that an agent was struck by a bullet, but the alleged assailant was not. Ballistics experts are currently investigating whether the Secret Service officer was struck by a round fired by the suspect or by a round fired by another law enforcement officer present at the scene.

However, a memo filed by prosecutors on Wednesday—in which they petitioned the judge to keep Allen in custody until the conclusion of his trial—makes no mention of any officer being shot.

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It states that as the suspect was fleeing the checkpoint, a Secret Service officer "observed the defendant fire the shotgun in the direction of the stairs leading to the ballroom." Statements previously included in charging documents alleged that a bullet fired by the suspect struck an officer's ballistic vest (bulletproof jacket).

Allen's defense attorneys have challenged the prosecutors' claim that their client fired a shot.

On Thursday, the Director of the U.S. Secret Service told  that the suspect had fired at a Secret Service agent from "very close range" (point-blank range).

"Based on all the evidence I have reviewed, the suspect fired a shotgun at our officer from very close range," Shawn Curran told the network.

"Acting with bravery—despite taking a shotgun blast to the chest at very close range—our officer returned fire; he managed to discharge five rounds."

"It appears that while the officer was engaging the suspect, the suspect's knee struck one of our magnetometer boxes, causing him to begin falling to the ground."

"That is how the circumstances appear, and at that precise moment, the officers and agents were able to subdue him and take him down."

Allen faces additional charges, including transporting a weapon across state lines with the intent to commit a felony, and discharging a firearm during a violent crime—both offenses carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.


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