TORRANCE, California — The FBI raided the home of suspected White House Correspondents’ Dinner gunman Cole Allen late Saturday after swarming the property in the quiet Los Angeles suburbs.
Allen, a 31-year-old CalTech mechanical engineering grad, was subdued after he rushed a security checkpoint and opened fire with a shotgun inside the Washington Hilton during the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday evening, according to law enforcement sources.
An FBI convoy, including armored trucks and agents clad in camouflage tactical gear, descended onto Allen’s home in Torrance, Calif. late Saturday night — hours after The Post arrived on the scene.
The FBI is seen at the home linked to suspected White House Correspondents’ Dinner gunman Cole Allen. Kevin Perkins for CA Post
Records indicate that Cole Allen was a teacher and video game developer, having earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology. C2 Education/FacebookABC 7 observed that occupants briefly interacted with federal agents on the home’s porch. One truck pointed a spotlight towards the home and eventually seemed to focus on the second-floor window, which overlooks the driveway.
Agents made first entry into the home just before midnight, the outlet reported.
The highly anticipated White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the first Trump has attended as president, came to a screeching halt when a gunman cut past security and opened fire mere steps away from the packed ballroom.
FBI agents are seen leaving the scene of a home linked to Cole Allen in California AP
The home linked to Cole Allen in Torrance, California. Kevin Perkins for CA Post
FBI officers are seen being transported to a home linked to Cole Allen in Torrance, California on Sunday, April 26, 2026. REUTERSThe president and first lady Melania Trump were rushed out of the room by security — followed by Vice President JD Vance and a slew of other top officials.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told NBC News that Allen was “targeting administration officials.”
Trump later shared pictures of Allen, shirtless and subdued while officers pinned him to the floor, on TruthSocial.
Here’s the latest on the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner:
- Intelligence report points to chilling potential motive for alleged WHCD shooter
- WHCD gunman Cole Allen faces life in prison for alleged attempt to assassinate President Trump: docs
- Star actor accuses Jimmy Kimmel of fueling ‘hatred’ toward Trump after White House dinner shooting
- Judge apologizes to WHCD shooting suspect Cole Allen over jail conditions
Donald Pearsall / NY Post DesignTrump also posted a video of Allen “running full blast” towards the ballroom.
While Allen wasn’t formally identified as the suspect during Saturday’s press conference, Trump did repeatedly note that the “sick” gunman hailed from California.
Sources told ABC 7 that Allen apparently trekked from Los Angeles, just outside of his hometown, to Chicago before heading to Washington, DC.
Allen’s house in Torrance seen the morning after the FBI raid. New York Post
An aerial view of Allen’s neighborhood after the FBI raid. New York PostNeighbor Jeff Smith said he met Allen one time.
“The one interaction I had was like, maybe he could be on the spectrum,” he said.
Allen is a teacher employed by C2 Education, a tutor and test prep company. He was named “teacher of the month” in December 2024, according to social media posts.
The front page of the New York Post on Sunday, April 26, 2026.
Federal Election Commission records show that he made a one-time $25 donation to Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign in October 2024. He also displayed sign for a local Democrat-backed judge in his front lawn.
Allen is expected to be charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault of a federal officer when he appears in court on Monday, Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney fot the District of Columbia, said.
One Secret Service agent was shot during the whirlwind takedown, but the bullet was stopped by his armored vest.
