Trump's Assassination Attempt Suspect Makes Shocking Request to Stay in Jail — After DOJ Called Cole Tomas Allen, 31, 'Danger to Society' Following WHCD Shooting
Cole Allen was strapped when he allegedly attempted to kill the president Saturday night.
April 30 2026, Published 2:02 p.m. ET
The man accused of trying to gun down President Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner shocked even his own defense team when he made the unusual request to stay behind bars, RadarOnline.com can confirm.
Cole Allen told a judge on Thursday, April 30, that he was waiving his right to challenge his detention in jail... for now.
Allen's Change of Mind
Allen rushed through a security checkpoint with a gun.
Just one day after his defense team filed a lengthy memo categorizing the myriad reasons for his release, Allen's attorneys changed course at Thursday's hearing.
"He’s conceding detention at this time," Allen’s lawyer, Tezira Abe, told Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya.
Abe also told the judge that she and Allen’s other lawyer were having difficulty meeting with the defendant over the past several days, but spoke to him before the morning hearing.
After making his stunning decision, the judge double-checked, asking him to confirm that his lawyers had informed him of "the consequences of conceding to detention at this time."
Allen simply responded, "Yes, your honor."
Arguments to Keep Allen Incarcerated
Allen was subdued and arrested shortly after the incident.
Allen faces assassination and firearm charges after prosecutors say he attacked the White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Washington Hilton over the weekend.
On Wednesday, both sides presented their arguments for and against letting Allen out. U.S. Attorney General Jeanine Pirro filed a 20-page report detailing all the reasons he should have remained incarcerated, including insisting he was still a threat to the general public and could try to kill the president again.
"As the President and members of his Cabinet continue to appear publicly, which they undoubtedly will, the defendant’s motivation for violence remains," Pirro wrote in her argument, which Radar has obtained. "Moreover, in the defendant’s own words, he believes that 'representatives and judges do not follow the law,' and thus he does not believe he is bound to follow the law because he views the decisions of those representatives and judges as unlawful."
Arguments to Set Allen Free
Allen reportedly had plans to target Trump.
Before changing his mind, Allen's defense team argued in their own 13-page that he was no threat.
"Mr. Allen has no criminal history—not even prior arrests, which alone would rebut the presumption of detention," their case read, adding, "But Mr. Allen’s case is much stronger. He graduated from the prestigious California Institute of Technology with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2017 and later received his Master of Science in Computer Science from California State University Dominguez Hills."
"He was gainfully employed as a tutor in his home state of California and has support from family and friends who will ensure that he will not be in violation of any conditions of release that the Court orders," the statement continued. "He also dutifully attends his Christian church and is an active participant in his religious community."
'A Planned Attack'
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Mentalist Oz Pearlman was in the middle of a trick when the shots rang out.
Saturday night, Allen allegedly rushed a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton with a raised shotgun. A Secret Service agent responded immediately, firing five shots.
After firing back and injuring one Secret Service agent, Allen was tackled and arrested. He suffered a minor knee injury but was not struck by gunfire, according to prosecutors.
Authorities say weapons recovered after the attack included the shotgun, knives, and a loaded .38-caliber pistol, according to the outlet.
Prosecutors described the incident as a calculated and deeply dangerous incident targeting an event attended by journalists, officials and the president.
"This was a planned attack of unfathomable malice that risked the lives of hundreds of people," Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Jones wrote, calling it "an anti-democratic act of political violence."
