{"id":12282,"date":"2026-04-27T06:25:50","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T06:25:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2026\/04\/27\/what-we-know-about-cole-tomas-allen-torrance-teacher-suspected-in-d-c-shooting-los-angeles-times\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T06:25:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T06:25:50","slug":"what-we-know-about-cole-tomas-allen-torrance-teacher-suspected-in-d-c-shooting-los-angeles-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2026\/04\/27\/what-we-know-about-cole-tomas-allen-torrance-teacher-suspected-in-d-c-shooting-los-angeles-times\/","title":{"rendered":"What we know about Cole Tomas Allen, Torrance teacher suspected in D.C. shooting – Los Angeles Times"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A man taken into custody after gunfire rang out at the White House Correspondents\u2019 Assn. dinner on Saturday was identified by law enforcement sources as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance. <\/p>\n

Suspect movements<\/h2>\n

Law enforcement sources told The Times the FBI is examining Allen\u2019s electronics and writings, and spoke to family and friends since the shooting seeking to determine a clear motive. <\/p>\n

Along with his home, agents searched a 10th-floor room at the Hilton in Washington.<\/p>\n

Acting Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche said the suspect revealed he was targeting members of the Trump administration.<\/p>\n

Blanche said on \u201cMeet the Press\u201d that the man traveled from California to Chicago and then on to Washington by train.<\/p>\n

Blanche told CNN the suspect fired two shots before being taken down by authorities.<\/p>\n

He added the suspect \u201cbarely got past the perimeter,\u201d Blanche said. \u201cHe was immediately subdued, and, yes, he got off a couple shots.\u201d<\/p>\n

The scene at the annual event in Washington turned chaotic when a man dashed toward the dining area and was met with gunfire. A hotel security guard said she saw the man with a firearm. President Trump was rushed offstage. One officer who was wearing a bulletproof vest was shot and was taken to a hospital. Trump told reporters during a news conference that the officer was \u201cdoing great.\u201d <\/p>\n

Weapons and chilling manifesto<\/h2>\n

The shotgun and handgun used were legally purchased in California, a law enforcement source told The Times.<\/p>\n

Blanche said that the weapons were purchased \u201cwithin the last couple of years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Allen\u2019s condition is unknown. Blanche said he was taken to a hospital but was not shot.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think he\u2019s cooperating with investigators,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Trump, speaking on Fox News Sunday Briefing, said Allen had written a \u201cmanifesto\u201d before the attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the guy was a sick guy. When you read his manifesto, he hates Christians,\u201d Trump said, adding the suspect\u2019s brother had complained to law enforcement.<\/p>\n

Trump was asked whether he knew that Allen\u2019s brother had notified New London Police Department about the alleged manifesto he had sent to his family members prior to the incident. Trump said he \u201cheard\u201d about it and wished \u201cthey would have told us about it a little bit.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cBut it is what it is,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The manifesto allegedly written by the suspect called himself a \u201cFriendly Federal Assassin\u201d and that he was targeted Trump administration officials \u201cprioritized from highest-ranking to lowest,\u201d according to a report.<\/p>\n

The manifesto was obtained by the New York Post. Two federal sources confirmed to The Times that the document was being investigated by the FBI.<\/p>\n

The Post quoted portions of the manifesto.<\/p>\n

\u201cTurning the other cheek is for when you yourself are oppressed. I\u2019m not the person raped in a detention camp. I\u2019m not the fisherman executed without trial,\u201d it said. \u201cI\u2019m not a schoolkid blown up, or a child starved, or a teenage girl abused by the many criminals in this administration. Turning the other cheek when *someone else* is oppressed is not Christian behavior; it is complicity in the oppressor\u2019s crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes,\u201d the document said.<\/p>\n

Caltech background<\/h2>\n

In October 2024, Allen donated $25 to ActBlue, a tech platform that processes political donations.According to the Federal Election Commission, the money was earmarked for Kamala Harris\u2019 presidential campaign. It was his only political donation listed on the FEC website in the past decade.<\/p>\n

Allen, who is registered to vote with no party preference, graduated from Caltech in 2017 with a degree in mechanical engineering. While at Caltech, he was a member of the school\u2019s Christian fellowship and the Nerf club, according to his LinkedIn profile.<\/p>\n

He was featured in a Caltech graduation announcement posted by the university in 2017 on Facebook, which included a picture of him as an adult wearing a cardigan and red tie and a photo of him as a beaming young child holding a stuffed bunny.<\/p>\n

Allen also earned a master\u2019s degree in computer science at Cal State Dominguez Hills in 2025, according to a commencement program. His LinkedIn profile<\/a> picture shows him sitting in his cap and gown with the caption: \u201cpretty sure my Master\u2019s in CS is done.\u201d On his profile he describes himself as a game developer, engineer, scientist and teacher. <\/p>\n

\u2018He was very intelligent\u2019<\/h2>\n

Allen was named teacher of the month in December 2024 at C2 Education, which specializes in college test preparation, tutoring and academic advising. A representative for C2 Education was not immediately available for comment. <\/p>\n

Dylan Wakayama, president of the Asian American Civic Trust, said Allen tutored several high school students who are members of the organization, a Torrance-based nonprofit. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey thought he was very intelligent, proficient in biology, mathematics and science. They thought he was on the nicer, quiet side. They were completely shocked when I told them that this all went down,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think all of us in Torrance would be shocked if this is the man who attempted to kill the president of the United States,\u201d he said<\/p>\n

In addition to his part-time work at C2 Education, he\u2019s also self-employed, according to his LinkedIn, identifying as an \u201cindie game developer.\u201d<\/p>\n

He registered a trademark in 2019 for \u201cBohrdom\u201d an atomic fighting game he created and released on Steam, an online game platform. The game is described on the website as a \u201cskill-based, non-violent asymmetrical fighting game loosely derived from a chemistry model that is itself loosely based on reality. Alternatively, think of it as a hybrid of a bullet hell and a racing game, with the inclusion of self-propelled pinballs.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Allen\u2019s arrest, local and federal law enforcement swarmed the Torrance neighborhood where he apparently lived with his family. A gaggle of reporters and neighbors loitered in the drizzle around a multi-gabled house Saturday night as a helicopter hovered overhead. <\/p>\n

Scene in Torrance<\/h2>\n

Torrance police arrived, clearing the road and putting up police tape along part of the street. FBI officials also appeared. <\/p>\n

A man who responded to a knock on the front door said, \u201cNot right now,\u201d and declined to comment further.<\/p>\n

Colin, a 39-year-old neighbor who declined to give his last name citing privacy concerns, said the residents of the home had just moved in six months ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s tragic,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s no need for violence in this day and age.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another man, 50, who lives across the street and declined to provide his name to a reporter, said the family was friendly. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe see them every day and we just say hi and they\u2019re very nice,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re peaceful people, they don\u2019t make any noise and when they see you they say hi.\u201d<\/p>\n

Torrance Mayor George K. Chen condemned the violence in Washington.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur community joins the nation in condemning the violent incident that occurred in Washington, D.C., during the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner,\u201d Chen wrote on X.<\/p>\n

He said the incident should not define the L.A. suburb.<\/p>\n

\u201cTorrance is a community built on respect, diversity, hard work, and public safety,\u201d Chen said.<\/p>\n

Times staff writer Ben Wieder contributed to this report<\/i><\/p>\n

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More to Read <\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A man taken into custody after gunfire rang out at the White House Correspondents\u2019 Assn. dinner on Saturday was identified by law enforcement sources as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance. Suspect movements Law enforcement sources told The Times the FBI is examining Allen\u2019s electronics and writings, and spoke to family and friends since the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12283,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12282"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12282\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}