WASHINGTON — Duck, cover, and grab the wine!
A woman was caught on camera blissfully snatching bottles of wine during the chaotic aftermath of the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
While throngs of reporters and other guests fled the Washington Hilton ballroom, an unknown blonde woman wearing posh black fur went straight for a table to stockpile booze.
Because the shooting took place early on during the salad portion of the marquee dinner, there was an abundance of wine left abandoned at tables across the ballroom.
The woman’s identity is not immediately clear, and it’s not apparent whether she was a journalist or some other guest.
Footage of the wine grab quickly went viral. But netizens were torn whether snatching the wine was in poor taste given what could’ve been a tragic evening if the shooter wasn’t stopped, or a fiscally prudent move given the high price tag of the swanky dinner.
“So, there you have press members STEALING wine bottles: this is who the press is! Repugnant!” one user wrote, showing a video of the wine-loving attendee.
“How shameless, after the shooting incident, journalists are stealing liquor bottles in the same hall where President Donald Trump was also present,” a different user fumed.
“How is this stealing? They were placed on the tables for dinner. They were meant to be consumed. Everything was already paid for,” another poster wrote in defense of the pilfering.
“Bro they paid $350+ a plate and the night got canceled early, free wine tax refund is fair game,” a user named Bullz wrote.
Other attendees were similarly caught exiting the ballroom with bottles of wine after chaos engulfed the marquee DC dinner.
CAA agent Michael Glantz also went viral for being seen on camera casually eating his salad while other attendees were hiding under the tables due to the shooting.
Saturday night’s annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner was interrupted by a deranged gunman who attempted to rush past security and opened fire before being pinned down by security.
Multiple shots were fired, but ultimately only one Secret Service officer suffered a minor injury after getting shot in their bulletproof vest.
President Trump and cabinet officials were promptly evacuated from the dinner in response. It was the first White House Correspondents’ Dinner Trump, 79, has attended as president.
The suspect, who has been identified as Cole Allen, 31, of Torrance, Calif., attempted to breach the security perimeter to get to the ballroom where the dinner was taking place.
Technically, access to the Washington Hilton, which hosts the feted dinner, is only guarded by loose ticket checks. Those attending pre-dinner parties or staying at the hotel don’t get screened for weapons.
Screening for weapons happens before entering the ballroom itself.
Allen is now facing 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 set to be arraigned on April 27.