WSJ guest recounts terrifying moment Secret Service took down WHCD gunman: 'He was a foot away'

WASHINGTON, DC: Witness Erin Thielman was only a foot away when the Secret Service neutralized the gunman right in front of her, describing how “the would-be assassin fell face-first and his hands were out in front of him.” 

The Air Force veteran, who attended the White House Correspondents’ Dinner as a guest of the Wall Street Journal, had stepped out to call her son when she witnessed the takedown of the suspect, Cole Tomas Allen.

Erin Thielman describes moment suspected gunman was taken down

Thielman, who was at the event with her husband, Jason, is a founding partner at S2R Public Affairs, told the New York Post that she had walked to a higher floor to find better cell service when the shooting started. 

She was standing just outside the security perimeter when she heard the gunfire and saw agents move in with their weapons.

“As soon as my son answered the phone, I said, ‘Hey, bud,’ and I heard three loud bangs,” she recalled. “It was gunshots. I looked to my left. I saw Secret Service with their pistols drawn, probably just had shot.” 

Erin Thielman recalls Cole Tomas Allen falling right in front of her

The suspect, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, was reportedly carrying a shotgun, a handgun, and knives when he tried to charge through the security area.

Thielman saw the suspect clearly just moments before he was stopped by the Secret Service. 

“I saw him running right before,” she said. “He wore magazines similar to how a woman will wear a cross-body bag with bullets in it. And he looked of the determination and ‘oh, s***’ all at the same time. And then he fell right in front of me," she added 

She described the proximity of the danger, noting, “Like right in front of me, he was a foot away.”

In an Instagram post, Thielman wrote, "Thank God the Secret Service is a good marksman or I wound t [sic] be standing here today. I’m still in shock, still processing... I’ve seen war and this was reminiscent."

Erin Thielman insisted on staying at WHCD until Secret Service ordered evacuation

After the takedown, Thielman ran back toward the ballroom to warn others, screaming for security to shut the doors.

Although she is a disabled veteran who usually struggles with stairs, her instincts took over as she found her husband and was pulled under a table for safety. 

Even after the scare, she insisted on staying at the event until the Secret Service ordered an evacuation.

“I was like, if we leave, this a**hole wins. I said we’re staying put. So we stayed put until the Secret Service told us we had to leave,” she said.

It is to be noted that Allen, who holds an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in computer science from California State University, is now facing several federal charges, including assault on a federal officer.