Dana White on White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting scare
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UFC CEO Dana White refused to hit the deck when a shooter opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night.
White, seated just ahead of President Trump at the Washington Hilton, watched Secret Service agents swarm the ballroom and guests flip tables for cover. “I didn’t get down,” White told USA Today. “It was f*cking awesome. I literally took every minute of it in.”
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Secret Service rushed Trump after gunfire erupted
The suspect, identified by Trump as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, Calif., allegedly breached a security checkpoint with multiple weapons before opening fire, per MMA Fighting. A police officer took a round at close range but survived thanks to a bulletproof vest. Trump later confirmed the officer was treated at a local hospital and doing well.
White said armed agents came straight toward his table during the chaos. “We were sitting right in front of where the president was,” he said. “Guys came in looking for shooters and then came towards our table. I thought the shooter was by us or something.”
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Trump praised law enforcement response time and vowed to reschedule the event. White attended as a guest of the president alongside representatives from Paramount Skydance, the UFC’s broadcast partner. Allen remains in custody.
Original reporting:
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