Trump was the subject of an ‘apparent assassination attempt’ at his Florida golf club, FBI says, suspect identified

AP Photo: Stephanie Matat

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man with an AK-style rifle pushed the firearm’s muzzle through the perimeter of Donald Trump’s West Palm Beach, Florida golf course Sunday as the Republican presidential candidate was playing a round, prompting U.S. Secret Service to open fire, according to three law enforcement officials. The former president is safe and unharmed.

The man who authorities say pointed a rifle with a scope into former President Donald Trump’s golf club and was arrested is Ryan Wesley Routh, three law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.

The law enforcement officials identified the suspect to The AP but spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.

Secret Service agents shot at the suspect, who was taken into custody after fleeing the scene of what the FBI is calling an apparent attempted assassination of the Republican presidential nominee. Authorities are working to determine a motive.

Routh dropped the weapon and fled in an SUV, and was later apprehended in a neighboring county, the officials said. The officials were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

An AK-style firearm was recovered at the scene near Trump’s golf course, one of the officials and a third law enforcement official said.

The golf course was partially shut down for Trump as he played, and agents were a few holes ahead of him when they noticed the person with the firearm, the officials said. The person appeared to push the muzzle of the rifle through the fence line and that’s when agents fired, the officials said.

Trump’s campaign and the Secret Service said Trump was safe, and the agency said it was investigating the incident that occurred shortly before 2 p.m.

The incident comes roughly two months after Trump was shot during an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania, and a bullet grazed his ear.

Trump had returned to Florida this weekend from a West Coast swing that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a Utah fundraiser.

No injuries were reported, according to a spokesperson for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.

The White House said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, had both been briefed and would be kept updated on the investigation. The White House added they were “relieved” to know Trump is safe.

Harris, in a statement said she was “glad” Trump was safe, adding that “violence has no place in America.”

In an X post, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C, one of Trump’s top congressional allies, said he had spoken with Trump after the incident and that Trump was in “good spirits” and was “one of the strongest people I’ve ever known.

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post on Sunday that it has stopped a vehicle on northbound Interstate 95 and taken a suspect into custody who is believed to be connected to the shooting.

The sheriff’s office said it made the stop after authorities in neighboring Palm Beach County put out a “be on the lookout” alert.

The post by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office indicated the suspect was apprehended near Palm City, Florida, about a 45-mile drive north of Trump’s golf course. Northbound lanes of I-95 were shut down, the sheriff’s office said.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has been briefed on the situation and is receiving regular updates about it, a Justice Department spokeswoman said.

Trump often spends the morning playing golf, before having lunch at the Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach, one of three he owns in the state.

Trump has had a stepped-up security footprint since the assassination attempt in July. When he has been at Trump Tower in New York, a lineup of dump trucks have parked in a wall outside the building. And at outdoor rallies, he now speaks from behind an enclosure of bulletproof glass.

A message sent to campaign officials seeking information on the security status and location of Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, was not immediately returned.

Max Egusquiza, of Palm Beach, described the emergency response outside Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course.

“From what I saw 5 black unmarked SUVs blocked in a grey Mercedes in front of the golf course. There were about 20 or more cop cars flying from nearby streets,” he said.