Cole Tomas Allen pleads not guilty to trying to assassinate President Trump
Guard dog follows Cole Allen seconds before he charges security gate
Cole Tomas Allen pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to kill President Donald Trump and shooting a Secret Service officer during the White House Correspondents Association dinner.
Allen’s lawyers requested U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden remove at least two top Justice Department officials from the prosecution due to potential conflicts of interest, a request not yet ruled upon.
Allen, a computer engineer from Torrance, California, arrived at the Washington Hilton hotel ahead of the event, after traveling by train from the West Coast to Chicago on April 21, and then taking another train to the U.S. capital on April 24, according to Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C.
He was carrying an array of weapons at the time of the attack, including a 12-gauge pump-action Mossberg shotgun, a .38 semi-automatic pistol and “at least three knives and all kinds of paraphernalia,” Pirro said.
A Secret Service officer was shot once in a bullet-resistant vest during the incident, which disrupted the high-profile annual event.
