WHCA dinner shooting live updates: Suspect armed with multiple guns and knives

The chaos that erupted at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner after a suspect charged a security checkpoint brought back memories of the shooting at a Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a White House deputy chief of staff said early on Sunday.

"Never thought I’d be hitting the ground again after Butler, Pennsylvania, as a result of shots being fired," Dan Scavino Jr., the deputy, said on social media. "Brings back a lot of terrible memories -- I am so thankful that everyone in attendance tonight is okay. We’re all in this together, stay strong!"

A gunman fired a barrage of shots at then-candidate Donald Trump in an apparent assassination attempt at a campaign rally in the Pennsylvania city in July 2024.

Officers from multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and members of a SWAT team, were gathering late on Saturday near an address in Torrance, California, thought to be associated with the suspect.

Authorities earlier identified Cole Allen, the suspect in the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner incident, as a resident of Torrance, a city southwest of Los Angeles.

The director of the Secret Service praised his staff's response during the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner incident, saying they "performed admirably."

"Tonight we saw exactly what our brave men and women do each and every day to protect our protectees," Director Sean M. Curran said in a statement released by the service. "It’s not easy and I will tell you that they performed admirably. We got to see what they do."

The suspect's apprehension at a checkpoint "shows that our multi-layered protection works," he said, adding, "And I’m grateful to our partners that help assist us with building these sites and protecting these sites."

Deputy Director Matthew Quinn also released a statement, saying that "a coward attempted to create a national tragedy."

"He underestimated the protective capabilites of the U.S. Secret Service, and was stopped at first contact," Quinn added. "The strength of our layered security posture was evident, with a myriad of countermeasures still ahead. Grateful for the brave men and women of the Secret Service and our valued Law Enforecment partners."

The suspect in the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner shooting has been identified as Cole Allen from Torrance, California, according to authorities.

According to law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation, the suspect is believed to have booked a room in the Hilton in early April.

He is declining to answer questions but allegedly made some reference to targeting administration officials but was not specific, the officials said.

He mentioned that he is a tutor in California, according to officials.

-ABC News' Pierre Thomas, Luke Barr, Katherine Faulders and Josh Margolin