Authorities said a “lone actor,” armed with a shotgun and other weapons, charged a security checkpoint outside the annual dinner late Saturday and exchanged gunfire with security forces. The incident triggered panic inside the ballroom as Trump and other dignitaries were rushed from the stage.
Trump initially signaled he wanted to resume the event before abandoning the idea as security concerns mounted. “We very much wanted to continue it,” he said at a press conference shortly after the incident, adding that he would not let “these sick people … change the fabric of our life.”
One Secret Service officer was struck in his bullet-resistant vest but is “doing great,” the president said, praising the rapid response. In her post, Kallas wished the injured officer a “swift recovery.”
Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. The gunman was tackled but was unharmed; he was being evaluated at a hospital, police said.
The suspect, identified as a 31-year-old man from California, was taken into custody and is expected to face multiple firearm-related charges, including assaulting an officer with a deadly weapon.
Local police said investigators believe that suspect was checked in as a guest at the Washington Hilton hotel, where the dinner was held Saturday evening. The man, who is believed to be the only suspect in the case, is due to be arraigned on Monday in a federal court, according to media reports.
