Cole Allen Indicted on Attempted Assassination of Trump, Assault on Officer at Correspondents' Dinner

WASHINGTON — Cole Allen, accused of attacking at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, now faces charges of assaulting a federal officer.

A federal grand jury formally indicted Allen on Tuesday on four counts. These include three charges from a criminal complaint last week — attempting to assassinate President Trump and two firearm offenses — plus a new count of assault on a federal law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon.

Federal prosecutors filed the initial charges hours after the attempted attack at the annual press gala in Washington, D.C. They presented the case to the grand jury Tuesday to secure the indictment.

Prosecutors say that on April 25, Allen, armed with a shotgun, handgun and knives, tried to break through a security checkpoint one floor above the ballroom at the Washington Hilton. President Trump, top administration officials and press corps members were dining inside.

The indictment accuses Allen of assaulting a federal officer identified as V.G. with a shotgun. Law enforcement officials say Allen shot at a uniformed Secret Service officer, who was struck on his protective vest by buckshot. The officer suffered no serious injury.

Allen, 31, has not entered a plea. He faces arraignment on May 11. His legal team agreed he will stay detained during pre-trial proceedings.

The case went to U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, whom Trump nominated in 2017.

On Monday, D.C. federal Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui criticized Allen's jail conditions. He said he was "very troubled" by the treatment and apologized to the suspect for problems in his first week of detention.

Allen's lawyers said jailers placed him on suicide watch soon after his arrival last week. That meant a padded cell, constant lights and no phone or tablet access. The next day, officials downgraded him to suicide precautions, which still limited his phone use and time out of his cell.

On Friday, his lawyers said a reassessment found him not to be a risk. Even so, he remained in protective custody, held separately from others.