Who Is the Man Caught After the White House Dinner Incident?

A police officer in Washington, D. C. , identified the individual arrested after a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner as Cole Tomas Allen, a 31‑year‑old resident of Torrance, California. Allen’s background appears to be rooted in engineering and education. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 2017 and later completed a master’s in computer science at California State University, Dominguez Hills, in 2025. His LinkedIn profile lists work as a part‑time teacher for C2 Education, a private test‑preparation firm, and an independent game developer. He also spent a year as a mechanical engineer at IJK Controls in South Pasadena and previously served as a teaching assistant at Caltech.During the annual dinner held at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Allen allegedly fired a shotgun at a Secret Service agent. He was apprehended on the hotel grounds after the incident, which took place outside the ballroom where President Donald Trump and his family were present. Police have not yet announced a motive for the attack. Social media posts suggest Allen received recognition as “Teacher of the Month” in December 2024 from C2 Education’s Torrance office. A local newspaper article highlighted his team’s success in a robotics competition at Caltech in 2016. The Secret Service confirmed that the suspect was armed and was taken into custody following the shooting.