Grand Jury Indicts Correspondents' Dinner Suspect On New Assault Charge

A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., returned a four-count indictment charging Cole Tomas Allen with attempting to assassinate the president and assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon.

Prosecutors allege Allen sprinted past a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton on April 25, was armed with a shotgun, handgun and knives, and that a Secret Service agent was struck in a protective vest.

U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro said ballistics evidence shows a buckshot pellet had fibers consistent with the agent's vest, and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said law enforcement's response stopped the attack.

About 2,500 journalists and guests were inside the Hilton ballroom, Allen is 31 and traveled from California, and prosecutors say they recovered one spent cartridge case and at least one fragment consistent with buckshot.

Allen has not entered a plea and is set for arraignment on May 11; his case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden and he will remain detained during pretrial proceedings.