A man armed with multiple weapons charged security outside the dining room, police say, sending guests including a BBC correspondent diving for cover.

Shots fired outside dining room

Guests at the White House Correspondents' Dinner dove for cover after shots rang out at the venue, according to a correspondent who was inside the room at the time.

Police said a man charged security personnel outside the dining room carrying multiple weapons. The suspect was stopped before reaching the event floor.

'Confusion and fear'

Gary O'Donoghue, a correspondent who was seated inside the venue, described hearing the shots and the immediate scramble that followed. He said guests had no way of knowing the nature or scale of the threat as it unfolded.

"You just didn't know," O'Donoghue said, recounting the fear that gripped the room in the moments after the low thudding sound of gunfire was heard.

O'Donoghue said he and others dived for cover as the shots rang out, with widespread confusion about what was happening and whether further danger was approaching.

Performer recounts lying next to Trump

Mindreader and performer Oz Pearlman, who had been on stage at the event, said he believed he and former US President Donald Trump were "about to die" as the incident unfolded. Pearlman said the two ended up lying on the ground approximately half a metre apart, and that he locked eyes with Trump during those moments.

Security response

Police confirmed the armed man was intercepted outside the dining room before he could enter. Authorities said he was carrying multiple weapons at the time he charged the security perimeter.