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Donald and Melania Trump were evacuated from the White House correspondents’ dinner on Saturday evening after the event was interrupted by gunfire.

A suspect was in custody, the FBI said, after the annual black tie dinner honoring the White House press corps in the ballroom of the Washington Hilton was suddenly interrupted by confusion and chaos. Journalists ducked under tables as authorities rushed the president and members of his cabinet out of the room.

The president and his wife were unharmed, and later appeared at a press conference at the White House.

Muriel Bowser, the Washington DC mayor, said that a sole gunman rushed at the Secret Service in the lobby of the hotel. There is no reason to believe that anyone else was involved in the incident, she said.

The suspect is in custody and being “evaluated” at a local hospital, though he did not appear to have been struck by gunfire. He was identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, the Associated Press is reporting, citing two law enforcement officials.

Jeffrey Carroll, the DC police chief, said that investigators believe the suspect did fire a shot and was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives. He also said the suspect is believed to have been a guest at the hotel. A motive for the attack has not yet emerged, officials said.

Jeanine Pirro, a US attorney for the District of Columbia, said the defendant is being charged with two counts of felony firearms and assault charges and will be arraigned Monday. She expected more charges to follow.

In a press briefing from the White House later Saturday evening, Trump praised the Secret Service and said an agent was hit by a bullet that was stopped by a ballistic vest. The violence took place “quite far away”, he said.

“That was very unexpected but incredibly acted upon by Secret Service and law enforcement, and this was an event dedicated to freedom of speech that was supposed to bring together members of both parties with members of the press,” he said. “And in a certain way, it did, because the fact that they just unified. I saw a room that was just totally unified.

He also described the Washington Hilton as “not a particularly secure building” and argued the merits of the construction of a ballroom at the White House. “This is why we have to have all of the attributes of what we’re planning at the White House. It’s actually a larger room, and it’s much more secure.”

Weijia Jang, president of the White House correspondents’ dinner, told the ballroom earlier Saturday that the president wants to reschedule the dinner in the next 30 days.

“Thank God everyone is safe, and thank you for coming together tonight,” she said. “We will do this again.”

Guests had just started eating dinner when the commotion began in the back of the room. People started screaming “Get down, get down!”. Security agents stormed the stage and evacuated Trump and Melania, while others stood guard, rifles pointed. Security agents pushed cabinet officials to the ground, and later evacuated them one by one. The atmosphere was tense as journalists waited to hear what happened and what to do next. People reported waiting under their tables for orders from security staff.

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer reported that he saw someone with a gun at the event.

“I did see the gunman on the ground after he started shooting,” he said. “Police officers threw him to the ground.”

Jamie Raskin, a Democratic congressman from Maryland, who was attending the dinner said he never saw a shooter, but “I think a Secret Service agent threw me to the ground and on top of some other people and people were screaming and yelling”.

“I heard some loud noises but I don’t know if that was people reacting or if that was something outside, it was hard to know, but people very quickly were saying that was a shot, that was the gunshot,” he added. “People were terrified; people seem to be relieved now.”

Kerry Kennedy, a lawyer and human rights activist, said in a post that Raskin had whispered “you’re OK, you’re OK, you’re OK” to her from beneath their table.

Mike Johnson, the House speaker, said on X that he and his wife were at the dinner and were “thankful no innocent people were harmed and everyone is now safe”.

Guardian reporters in the room said there were initially mixed messages about whether press and guests should stay in the room. The entire room emptied as people were told the event would not resume and the presidential seal was removed from the podium.

Outside the hotel, helicopters circled overhead.

This year’s dinner was already tense given the presence of Trump and top members of his cabinet, including Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, and Marco Rubio, the secretary of state. Trump agreed to attend this year’s dinner after refusing to attend last year and during his first term. The correspondents’ dinner tradition began in 1921, though the tradition of a presidential guest started in 1924, when Calvin Coolidge attended.

The Washington Hilton is the same hotel where Ronald Reagan was shot and gravely wounded by a would-be assassin in 1981.

When asked Saturday night if he was concerned about threats to his life, Trump, who also survived an assassination attempt during his campaign for the presidency in 2024, said: “It’s a dangerous profession.”

George Chidi and Lauren Gambino contributed reporting.