Authorities say Donald Trump is safe after an “attempted assassination” at his West Palm Beach golf course.
The former president was playing a round of golf on Sunday afternoon when a Secret Service agent spotted a person hiding out at the next hole, according to Palm Beach County Florida sheriff Ric Bradshaw.
Bradshaw shared in a press conference that the agent “engaged the individual” and they fled. A witness was able to give identifying information about the suspect to authorities and they captured him after he crossed into nearby Martin County. CNN reports that the suspect in custody is named Ryan Wesley Routh.
Bradshaw told reporters that they recovered “an AK-47-style rifle with a scope” along with two backpacks and a GoPro camera.
“The Secret Service agent that was on the course did a fantastic job,” Bradshaw shared.
Shots were fired on the course, though it is unclear at this time if the would-be assassin fired on agents. Trump campaign staff shared with NBC News that Trump is “safe” following the incident.
Vice President Kamala Harris said on X that she is “glad” her counterpart in the 2024 presidential election is safe.
“Violence has no place in America,” she wrote.
Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, said on X that Trump was in “good spirits” when he spoke to him about the incident.
The apparent assassination plot is the second such incident to befall Trump this year. In July, a 20-year-old named Thomas Matthew Crooks fired on the ex-president during a rally in Butler, Penn., striking him in the ear and killing a rally attendee. Crooks was killed by return fire from law enforcement.
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