Journalists and guests at the WHCA event reported from inside the chaotic scene at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night

NEED TO KNOW

• Shots were reportedly fired at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday Night, April 25
• Guests and journalists were rapidly escorted out of the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. following the incident
• President Donald Trump posted on social media that the shooter had been apprehended

The White House Correspondents' Dinner erupted in chaos on Saturday night, April 25, as eyewitnesses reported hearing shots and smelling gunpowder amid a reported attack by a gunman.

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were rapidly escorted from the ballroom at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., as were other top members of the administration, including press secretary Karoline Leavitt, FBI Director Kash Patel, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and others.

Trump posted on Truth Social shortly after being escorted out, writing, "Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely. The shooter has been apprehended, and I have recommended that we 'LET THE SHOW GO ON' but, will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement. They will make a decision shortly. Regardless of that decision, the evening will be much different than planned, and we’ll just, plain, have to do it again. President DONALD J. TRUMP."

It was later announced that he would not return to the event, but instead address the press from the White House around 10 p.m. ET.

In a statement addressing the situation, Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi confirmed that there was a "shooting incident near the main magnetometer screening area at the White House Correspondents' Dinner." Guglielmi said that the "condition of those involved is not yet known" and confirmed that one individual is in custody.

Eyewitnesses from the scene reported that after the guests of honor were introduced, White House Correspondents' Association President Wejia Jiang invited everyone to begin eating before the evening's entertainment began. Minutes later, some attendees reported hearing what sounded like gunshots and the room rumbled as everyone rushed to hide under tables.

One of the notable guests at the dinner was Erika Kirk, who became the CEO of the conservative organization Turning Point USA following the assassination of her husband, Charlie Kirk, at a college speaking event last September. PEOPLE can confirm that Kirk sought shelter under a table in the initial moments after the incident, and was later seen in tears, being consoled by Patel.

Several members of the press on the scene reported that a gunman rushed a security entrance outside the ballroom and was fired at by members of the Secret Service.

Fox News' Bret Baier called in to the live broadcast from where he and other attendees were being held by security in the hotel basement. He said that he and other guests had been "told to run" while evacuating after the reports of gunshots.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer told The New York Times that he lost a shoe in the chaos, and sheltered with other members of the press in a men's bathroom at the venue. Blitzer also recounted live on CNN that he witnessed the shooting.

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