Woman seen grabbing wine bottles after White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting chaos

WASHINGTON, DC: A woman was caught on camera grabbing bottles of wine in the aftermath of the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

As the situation cooled off at the Washington Hilton ballroom, one unidentified blonde woman dressed in a black fur coat appeared to walk straight to a table and began collecting abandoned bottles.

The timing worked in her favor. The shooting erupted early in the evening during the salad course, leaving tables across the ballroom littered with untouched wine. After several guests left the scene, the bottles were effectively up for grabs.

The woman’s identity remains unclear at the time of writing. It’s not known whether she was a journalist or simply another attendee at the event.

Netizens divided on ethics of grabbing wine bottles

Footage of the wine-snatching quickly made waves online. The reactions were sharply divided.

Some viewers were outraged, arguing the behavior was wildly inappropriate given the circumstances.

“So, there you have press members STEALING wine bottles: this is who the press is! Repugnant!” one user wrote, sharing video of the incident."

“The President almost just got assassinated and members of the media are using the opportunity to steal bottles of wine. You don’t hate them enough!” another fumed.

“Imagine what people are being sent there if they are doing stuff like that. Embarrassing themselves for a bottle of champagne lol,” a comment read.

Others, however, took a less judgmental view and pointed to the steep price of admission.

“Bro they paid $350+ a plate and the night got canceled early, free wine tax refund is fair game,” one user insisted.

“They paid for their seats. The wine belongs to them. I bet they were starving,” another offered.

“Lol … in all fairness … I would have grabbed a bottle or two on the way out as well,” someone else chimed in.

The woman wasn’t alone. Additional footage showed other attendees also leaving the ballroom with bottles in hand as the situation unfolded.

Meanwhile, another viral moment featured CAA agent Michael Glantz calmly eating his salad while others crouched under tables for cover.

Gunman stopped, President evacuated

The bizarre scenes came after a gunman disrupted the annual dinner on Saturday night. Authorities say the suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Allen of Torrance, California, attempted to push past security and opened fire.

Multiple shots were fired before security personnel subdued him. Despite the chaos, only one Secret Service officer was injured after being struck by a bulletproof vest and treated for minor injuries.

President Trump, who was attending the dinner for the first time during his presidency, was quickly evacuated along with cabinet officials.

The Washington Hilton, which hosts the event each year, has relatively light security at entry points outside the ballroom. While attendees for the dinner itself undergo screening before entering the main event space, those attending pre-dinner gatherings or staying at the hotel are not subject to the same checks.

Allen now faces two counts of discharging a firearm during a crime and one count of assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon, according to US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro.

He is scheduled to be arraigned on April 27.