A suspect has been apprehended following a second attempted assassination of President Trump at his Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida. The suspect has been identified as Ryan Wesley Routh.
Trump was playing golf Sunday afternoon when the suspect was spotted poking a rifle through the fence around the perimeter of the course, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw. The suspect was positioned near the fourth or fifth hole, just one or two holes ahead of where Trump was playing. At the time of the incident, Trump was estimated to be between 400 and 500 yards away from the gunman, Bradshaw revealed during a press conference.
A U.S. Secret Service agent, stationed one hole ahead of Trump, spotted the suspect in the shrubbery near the fence and “immediately engaged that individual,” Bradshaw said. The agent opened fire, causing the suspect to abandon the weapon and flee in an SUV.
Law enforcement reported that the suspect had an AK-style rifle with a scope, two backpacks hanging on the fence, and a GoPro camera. Photos shared by officials show two black bags hanging from a chain-link fence, with the rifle propped up between them and aimed through a gap. The GoPro was affixed to the fence nearby.
The suspect was later apprehended in a neighboring county without the weapon, officials told The Associated Press.
Teri Barbera, spokesperson for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, confirmed that only one person of interest was being interrogated.
Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said his office is preparing warrant and pretrial detention applications, noting that the suspect will initially face state charges, with potential federal charges to follow. “Our filing of the warrant and charges at the state level does not preclude the federal charges that could be coming,” Aronberg said. “But in the meantime, it looks like the warrants and a pretrial detention motion will happen first.”
