Dana White unfazed during White House dinner shooting scare
UFC CEO Dana White refused to hit the deck when a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, forcing President Donald Trump and other guests to evacuate the Washington Hilton.
White was seated near the front of the ballroom, steps away from Trump’s table, when chaos erupted. Secret Service agents rushed in with weapons drawn, screaming for attendees to get down. White stayed upright. “I didn’t get down,” he told USA Today, per MMA Fighting. “It was f*cking awesome. I literally took every minute of it in. It was a pretty crazy, unique experience.”
White thought shooter was near his table
The UFC boss said the scene unfolded fast. Tables flipped over, armed personnel flooded the room. White initially believed the suspect might be close by. “We were sitting right in front of the table, right in front of where the president was,” he said, according to MMA Mania. “Nobody got tackled, but guys came in looking for shooters and they came toward our table. I thought the shooter was over by us or something.”
The suspect, later identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, allegedly charged through a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons. A police officer was shot at close range but survived thanks to his bulletproof vest. Trump said he spoke to the officer, who was being treated at a local hospital and doing well.
White attended the dinner as a guest of the president alongside representatives from Paramount Skydance, the UFC’s broadcast partner. Trump said the event would be rescheduled at a later date.
Original reporting:
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