Donald Trump was evacuated to safety on Sunday following what the FBI described as a possible assassination attempt at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was apprehended as a suspect and charged with gun crimes. The event occurred almost exactly two months after a shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, which injured the Republican nominee and killed a man in the crowd. Here’s all we know so far about Sunday.
How was the suspect discovered?
The incident occurred at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, around 15 minutes from Trump’s Florida home, Mar-a-Lago. Secret Service agents were sweeping the course when they noticed a shooter. Police say agents typically travel one hole ahead to undertake security checks.
The muzzle of a rifle recognized as an SKS type was discovered protruding through the foliage that lines the course. Trump stated that he was approximately 300-500 yards away from the location at the time. Sheriff Rick Bradshaw noted that an agent “immediately engaged” with the guy holding the rifle, who then ran. The suspect did not discharge his firearm throughout the incident. On September 16, acting Secret Service Director Ron Rowe stated that Trump was “across the course and out of sight of the sixth green” when the Secret Service agent fired fire. At no point is the suspect thought to have had a direct line of sight to the former President.
How did the suspect get caught?
Agents shot four to five rounds of ammo when they saw the gun’s muzzle.
Sheriff Bradshaw said the suspect dropped the rifle and escaped in a car, leaving behind two bags, a scope for his rifle, and a GoPro camera.
- According to the sheriff, a witness saw the man leave from the bushes and into a black Nissan. The witness took a photograph of the car and gave it to law enforcement.
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Police detained the man while traveling northbound on I-95 after crossing into Martin County, around 61 kilometers (38 miles) from Trump’s golf course. The Nissan SUV was then discovered to contain number plates from a 2012 Ford that had previously been reported stolen.
Who is Ryan Routh?
Routh has a lengthy criminal past, stretching back to the 1990s. He was convicted in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 2002 for possessing a fully automatic machine gun, which was described as a “mass death and destruction” weapon. In March 2010, he was found guilty on seven charges of possessing stolen items in North Carolina.
What happened to Trump?
Trump was not wounded. Soon after, he sent a message to his fundraising list that read: “There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors spiral out of control, I wanted you to know this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL.”
Trump told Fox News presenter Sean Hannity about the incident, which he recounted live on Sunday. “They were on the fifth hole, about to go up to putt,” the comedian explained. The former president says he heard “pop pop, pop pop.” “Within seconds, the Secret Service pounced on the president [and] covered him.” He stated that a steel-reinforced truck would soon drive Trump off course.
