Cole Thomas AllenThe man from Torrance was identified as a suspect shortly after the incident at a black-tie gala at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., on Saturday night.
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Branch said Allen traveled from California to chicago Then take a train to the capital and register as a guest at your hotel. Federal authorities further said he was armed with several guns and a knife as he walked toward the ballroom where the lavish event was being held.
agent Agents quickly surrounded him — one agent reportedly suffered a gunshot wound during the incident but was protected by a bulletproof vest — and arrested him.
Meanwhile, one of Allen’s neighbors opened up about the suspect’s parents, calling them “very reliable” people, AOL reported.
Cole Thomas Allen’s career
Allen, 31, is a professional game designer and educator from Torrance with a master’s degree in computer science from Torrance University california State University Dominguez Hills, according to AOL citing multiple media reports.
Allen, who completed his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at Caltech, has created a variety of video games throughout his career that allow users to shoot and attack, according to the Associated Press.
California State University, Dominguez Hills confirmed in a statement released Sunday that a student named Cole Allen graduated from the institution with a master’s degree in 2025, but they “[could not] Confirm if he is the same suspect identified in the shooting. White House Correspondents’ dinner. “
Cole Thomas Allen parents: Neighbors speak out
Within hours of the incident, federal agents were spotted outside a home in Torrance in connection with the incident Allen. Neighbors reported that the house belonged to Allen’s parents, who had lived there for the past several years.
Local resident Paul Thompson mentioned that Allen’s parents were well respected in the community. He said he never interacted with the alleged shooter.
“I’m not with [Cole Allen] “But I’m friends with his parents,” Thompson told KTLA Sunday morning. “His father and I are friends. They are very down-to-earth, peaceful people…good people in the community.” However, the identity of the suspect’s parents remains unclear. white house shooting It has not yet been made public.
Thompson further stated, beat Situations arose in the otherwise quiet neighborhood that kept him from returning home for a while.
“It’s pretty crazy … you don’t think something like this would happen on your street. It’s a very quiet street … a lot of kids playing at night and a lot of families,” he said. “We were staying with our neighbors, so we couldn’t actually get back to our house for a while, but eventually, they let us back in.”
United States District Attorney washington DC Jeanne Pirro said Allen is currently facing two preliminary charges related to the use of a firearm and assaulting a police officer with a dangerous weapon. However, additional charges may apply.
