Cole Allen Hotel Selfie Preceded Washington Hilton Breach
Cole Allen took a hotel room selfie at the Washington Hilton minutes before he allegedly raced toward security barricades near the ballroom hosting the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. Authorities said the 31-year-old from Torrance, California, appeared in court on Monday on a charge of attempted assassination of the president.
Washington Hilton Selfie
Investigators said Allen photographed himself in his room wearing an ammunition bag, a shoulder gun holster and a sheathed knife. He wore black pants, a black shirt and a red tie in the image, which was taken just minutes before the alleged breach.
Authorities said Allen had reserved the room on April 6 for the event held weeks later and checked himself into the hotel a day before the dinner, with a room reserved for the weekend. They said he traveled by train cross-country from California.
Security Barricades Near Ballroom
Allen was captured when he tried to race past security barricades near the hotel’s ballroom, and the attempt led to an exchange of gunfire with Secret Service agents. The government said he repeatedly made online checks to keep track of Trump’s status that night.
Investigators said preset emails with an “Apology and Explanation” attachment were sent at approximately 8:30 p.m. Trump was uninjured, and a Secret Service officer wearing a bullet-resistant vest was shot in the vest and survived.
Charles Jones Filing
On Wednesday, prosecutors asked that Allen remain in custody pending trial. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Jones wrote in a court filing: “He intended to kill and fired his shotgun while trying to breach security and attack his target. Put simply, the defendant poses an uncommonly serious danger to the community if released pending trial. The defendant’s lack of criminal history and other personal circumstances do not alter this conclusion.”
Defense attorneys Tezira Abe and Eugene Ohm said in a court filing that Allen “is presumed innocent at this time.” They also wrote: “Mr. Allen was forced to sit inside of a locked cage in full, five-point restraints, and speak over a phone — of which there is only one — to be able to confer with counsel” and “Counsel were forced to sit in an open lobby area with jail staff and other attorneys standing nearby who could overhear the entirety of counsel’s side of the conversation.”
A magistrate judge ordered a District of Columbia jail to allow Allen unrestricted visits with his lawyers. A hearing was set for Thursday on the custody issue.
