A man armed with guns and knives stormed the lobby outside a high-profile journalists' dinner attended by President Donald Trump on Saturday night, rushing toward the ballroom before Secret Service agents swarmed him and took him into custody.

Guests went diving under tables as the scene unfolded and some reported hearing shots outside the vast subterranean ballroom in the Washington Hilton where the event was being held.

Loud bangs could be heard and then various secret service members escorted the president away from the venue.

The banquet hall — where hundreds of prominent journalists, celebrities and national leaders were awaiting Trump’s remarks — was immediately evacuated.