By around 10:50 p.m., US media, including CBS, had named the suspect.
President Trump posted to social media a photo of law enforcement detaining a suspect in the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night
President Trump posted to social media a photo of law enforcement detaining a suspect in the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night
At 10:30 p.m., the president held a formal press conference from the White House alongside FBI Director Kash Patel and Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche. He described the suspect as what appeared to be “a lone wolf.”
Shortly after 11:10 p.m., live images began emerging of FBI agents assembling outside a home in Torrance, a suburb of Los Angeles, linked to Allen. A police perimeter was established as a large number of media and law enforcement gathered at the scene.
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A next-door neighbor, who did not wish to be identified, told CNN he wasn’t sure if Allen actually lived at the property. He said he didn’t see him often, but Allen had been there “a couple of days ago.” The neighbor added that Allen’s father is friendly and chatty, and that the two spoke frequently.
Meanwhile, US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced the formal charges: using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. Allen is set to be arraigned in federal court on Monday.
So who exactly is Allen? The picture that emerged was a striking contrast to the chaos he allegedly unleashed.
According to public records and a LinkedIn profile, Allen is a part-time teacher at C2 Education, a test prep and tutoring company, and was actually named the company’s “Teacher of the Month” in December 2024. He is also described as a video game developer from Southern California.
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Academically, Allen is no slouch. He graduated from the prestigious California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, then earned a master’s degree in computer science from California State University-Dominguez Hills just last year.
Interim Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department Jeffery Carroll confirmed at a press conference that Allen was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives when he “charged” a Secret Service checkpoint and “exchanged fire” with law enforcement. Carroll added that police believe Allen fired a shot based on “preliminary information.”
