Man held after shooting at White House correspondents’ dinner – as it happened

This live blog is closed. Follow our new live blog here Here is a wrap of what unfolded during a dramatic night in Washington DC: Donald and Melania Trump were evacuated from the White House correspondents’ dinner on Saturday evening after the event at the Washington Hilton was interrupted by gunfire. Hundreds of guests hid under tables in the ballroom as US Secret Service agents with guns drawn rushed reporters out of the room and mentioned “shots fired”. The Metropolitan police department’s Jeff Carroll said a suspect “charged a US Secret Service checkpoint” armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives, before he was tackled to the ground and handcuffed. He appeared to have been a “lone” gunman, Carroll said. The US attorney for the District of Columbia said the suspect had been charged with felony firearm and assault charges. The shooting suspect was identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, according to the Associated Press and multiple news outlets. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said the suspect was transported to a local hospital where he was being “evaluated”. News crews and officers gathered outside the California home of the suspect.