WASHINGTON, D.C. — A gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Washington Hilton, prompting Secret Service agents on the stage to rush President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance away from the ballroom. Other agents stood in helmets and bulletproof vests with their guns trained on the crowd, searching for additional threats.

One Secret Service agent was shot during the incident but survived after his bulletproof vest stopped the round, and the agent was reported to be in high spirits. The agent was released from the hospital on Sunday. The Secret Service said the alleged gunman underestimated the service and was stopped at first contact.

People in the ballroom stayed under tables for about five to ten minutes after the shots were heard, then tried to get a phone signal to broadcast updates and gather information. About 30 meters behind one of the press tables, FBI Director Kash Patel was on the floor shielding his girlfriend as a Secret Service agent ran to his aid. All roads surrounding the Washington Hilton were closed for hours and blocked by law enforcement.

Trump posted a photograph showing a man in handcuffs face-down on a carpeted floor and said the alleged gunman had been taken into custody. "I was watching to see what was happening, probably should have gotten down even faster," Trump said. He said he had mistaken the gunshots for a tray clattering in the room and said the building housing the event was not particularly secure.

U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C. Jeanine Pirro said the suspect will be formally charged on Monday with two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence and assaulting federal officers with a dangerous weapon. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said preliminary investigations indicated the suspected shooter was likely targeting administration officials, including the president. Authorities have not officially confirmed the alleged gunman's identity, though multiple media outlets named the suspect as 31-year-old teacher Cole Tomas Allen.

Security agents at the dinner used wands to screen attendees but did not ask them to empty their pockets after metal detector alarms were triggered, and there were no security scanners at the entrance to the building, although guards were stationed there. Security procedures matched those of previous dinners when the sitting president was not in attendance. Former President Ronald Reagan was shot during an assassination attempt at the Washington Hilton in 1981.