US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has praised law enforcement after shots were fired at an event in Washington DC, with a suspect already in custody.
Mr Trump was attending the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton when an armed man attempted to breach a checkpoint in a hotel lobby outside the room where the event was being held.
A Secret Service agent was shot but, according to Mr Trump, was saved by his bulletproof vest.
The agent was taken to hospital for treatment while the suspect was also taken to hospital to be assessed.
Darren Cox, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Washington field office, said law enforcement would leave 'no stone unturned' in their investigation.
Agent is 'doing great'
Speaking after the incident, Mr Trump praised the injured agent who as well as law enforcement for their handling of the situation.
"One officer was shot but saved by the fact that he was wearing, obviously, a very good bulletproof vest," he said.
"He was shot from very close distance with a very powerful gun and the vest did the job.
"I just spoke to the officer and he's doing great, he's in great shape.
"He has very high spirits and we told him we love him, we respect him.
"He's a very proud guy he's very proud of what he does, Secret Service agent."
US President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House after the incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner (Image: Nathan Howard / Getty Images)The US president added that the incident underlined the need for the controversial White House State Ballroom, which is part of a proposed new East Wing under construction at the White House.
"We looked at all the of the conditions that took place tonight and I will say it [the Washington Hilton] is not a particularly secure building," said Mr Trump.
"I didn't want to say this but 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, it's drone proof, it's bulletproof glass.
"We need the ballroom, that's why the Secret Service, that's why the military, are demanding it.
"They've wanted the ballroom for 150 years for lots of different reasons but today is a little bit different because today we need levels of security that probably no one's ever seen before."
'National tragedy' averted
Like the US president, Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn also praised the response of law enforcement.
"Tonight, a coward attempted to create a national tragedy," he said.
"He underestimated the protective capabilities of the US Secret Service and was stopped at first contact.
"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 enforcement partners."
Meanwhile, Mayor of DC Muriel Bowser said: "We are very thankful to members of law enforcement who did their jobs tonight and made sure that all guests were safe.
"We have no reason to believe at this time that anyone else was involved."
Suspect facing 'many more charges'
According to the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington DC, the suspect is believed to have acted alone.
Interim Chief Jeff Carroll said the man was armed with 'a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives'.
He added that the suspect was not struck by gunfire and said the investigation was in the preliminary stages.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump described the suspect as 'a very sick person' and said he believed he lived in California.
Jeanine Pirro, US Attorney for Washington DC, said the suspect had been charged with using a firearm for a violent crime as well as assaulting a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.
"This individual was intent on doing as much harm and as much damage as he could," she added.
"The defendant will be arraigned on Monday in Federal District Court but make no mistake, there will be many more charges based upon the information that we are learning in this very fluid situation."
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