WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal magistrate judge on Monday pressed a prison official to explain why a man accused of trying to crash a White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and attempt to assassinate President Donald Trump was placed on restricted suicide watch after his arrest.
Officials at the Washington, D.C., city jail removed Cole Thomas Allen from “suicide status” designation over the weekend after his attorney complained that he was unnecessarily placed in a padded room with constant lighting, subjected to repeated strip searches and restrained outside his cell.
But the lenient conditions did not allay U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Farooqui’s concerns that Allen may have received disparate punitive treatment in violation of his due process rights. Faruqui noted that D.C. jails, which typically hold convicted killers and others accused of violent crimes, do not have 24-hour lockdowns for them.
“Being in that situation could drive a person crazy,” he said.
Faruqui apologized to Allen for the conditions of his imprisonment. In response to news reports about the apology, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro criticized him in a social media post, saying Faruqui “believes that a defendant armed to the teeth and trying to assassinate the president is entitled to preferential treatment while incarcerated compared to all other defendants.”
Allen’s attorney said he showed no risk factors for suicide after his arrest. But a prison psychiatrist evaluated him and preliminarily concluded he was a suicide risk, according to Tony Downs, acting general counsel for the city’s Department of Corrections.
“Your honor, every case is different,” Downs said.
Allen was moved into protective custody after the prison removed suicide prevention measures. His attorneys did not object to his new prison status. They had asked magistrates to cancel Monday’s hearing, but Farooqi went ahead with it due to “serious concerns” about Allen’s treatment in prison.
Allen was wounded but not shot during the April 25 attack at the Washington Hilton Hotel that disrupted one of the nation’s capital’s most high-profile annual events.
Authorities said Allen was armed with a gun and knife as he rushed through a security checkpoint and pointed the weapon at a Secret Service agent, who fired five shots. Pirro said Allen fired his weapon, striking the agent’s bulletproof vest.
Justice Department prosecutor Jocelyn Ballantine said Allen later told FBI agents he did not expect to survive the attack, which may help explain why he was considered a possible suicide risk.
Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, is charged with attempted assassination of the president and two other firearms offenses. If convicted solely of the assassination charge, he faces life in prison.
Defense attorney Eugene Ohm said Allen was prohibited from having anything in his cell. According to Ohm, he asked for a Bible and a visit from a priest but received neither.
