U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said the suspect was being charged and would be arraigned on Monday.
A Secret Service agent was shot but survived an attack at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25, President Donald Trump said during a press briefing after the incident.
“One officer was shot, but saved by the fact that he was wearing an obviously, a very good bulletproof vest,” Trump said from the White House briefing room. “He was shot from very close distance with a very powerful gun.”
The president added that he had spoken with the agent and that he was “doing great.”
The president and First Lady Melania Trump were evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner at the Washington Hilton on Saturday evening after an assailant breached a security checkpoint near the ballroom.
Several Epoch Times staff on the scene heard shots at about 8:40 p.m. and witnessed the reaction. Immediately after around five shots rang out, Secret Service agents rushed the stage.
The event was canceled. Trump, the first lady, and his Cabinet members returned to the White House to hold a press briefing after the incident.
Trump said the suspect was “running full blast” through security, according to video footage he released on social media. “And they got him before he got any further, I was very far away.”
Trump commended the officers for their swift response.
“The reaction time was great. Boy, those guys, they had their guns drawn, literally, by the time he was there, they were shooting. I thought they were very impressive.”
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a separate briefing that both the agent and the suspect were transported to the hospital.
Trump said the suspect is from California and authorities were going to investigate his apartment. He described the man as “very sick.”
“My impression was that he was a lone wolf,” Trump said.
At the briefing, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche praised law enforcement and said the investigation is “ongoing and just started.”
“The charges should be self evident, given the conduct, but as you’ll hear, there will be multiple charges surrounding the shooting, around the possession of firearms and anything else that we can get on this guy,” he said.
FBI Director Kash Patel urged people to call the agency with tips if they had information. He said that the process of examining the suspect’s background had already begun.
“We will analyze all evidence immediately to make sure that we safeguard this country,” Patel said at the briefing.
By Sam Dorman
