Cole Allen, the man accused of opening fire outside White House Correspondents’ Dinner, is from Torrance, California

WASHINGTON () — The man accused of charging a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner on Saturday night, firing at a Secret Service agent, is from Southern California, News has learned.

The suspected shooter was identified as 31-year-old Cole Allen of Torrance, California, News confirmed. He is in custody.

The incident sparked chaos inside the ballroom before Allen was subdued by law enforcement.

Trump posted a video showing agents taking down the suspect, who he said “charged a security checkpoint armed with many weapons.”

“He started running from 50 yards, and he was fast. He was like a blur on tape,” Trump said of the suspect.

In another post on Truth Social, Trump shared photos of the alleged shooter face-down on the ground after being apprehended.

READ MORE: Trump safe, suspect in custody after shooting incident outside White House Correspondents Dinner

As agents engaged with the suspect, a chaotic scene unfolded inside the Washington Hilton hotel ballroom. Officers in tactical gear with long guns jumped over tables, brandishing their weapons as the president and other dignitaries, such as Vice President JD Vance, were rushed from the stage.

Attendees ducked under their tables.

“It is always shocking when something like this happens,” Trump told reporters at a press briefing from the White House later Saturday night.

The shooting incident took place near the main magnetometer screening area at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, according to the Secret Service.

During the press briefing, Trump said that a Secret Service member was shot, but the bullet hit the agent’s protective vest. The president said he spoke with the agent, and he was in good spirits.

“I told him we love him and respect him and he’s a very proud guy,” he said.

Law enforcement is continuing to conduct the investigation. Trump confirmed that the suspect was a California resident.

Saturday was the first correspondents’ dinner that Trump had attended as president. He was scheduled to speak.

The dinner was underway, and Trump, the first lady and other dignitaries were sitting at the main table and White House Correspondents’ Association President Weijia Jiang was chatting with the dinner’s host Oz Pearlman, when some attendees said they heard several loud bangs shortly after 8:30 p.m. ET.

Several lawmakers inside the room described the tense scene.

In a social media post, Trump praised the Secret Service for their work.

“Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely,” he said.

In a later post, Trump said law enforcement requested attendees leave the premises and the dinner would be rescheduled within 30 days.

“We very much wanted to continue it, because I don’t want to let these sick people, these thugs change the fabric of our lives, change what we do,” Trump told reporters.

Jiang initially told the crowd at the Washington Hilton ballroom that the program would continue however, she later told the crowd that they had to leave.

“I said earlier tonight that journalism is a public service because when there is an emergency, we run to the crisis, not away from it,” she told the crowd.

“And on a night when we are thinking about the freedoms in the First Amendment, we must also think about how fragile they are. I saw all of you reporting, and that’s what we do,” Jiang added.

News contributed to this report.