Acting US Secret Service director arrives in West Palm Beach following "apparent assassination attempt" of Trump, officials say
Acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe is in West Palm Beach Monday morning following what the FBI is calling "an attempted assassination of former President Trump."
Rowe's visit comes after a suspect pointed a rifle with a scope into Trump International Golf Club while the Republican presidential nominee was golfing Sunday afternoon.
U.S. Secret Service agents then opened fire, according to two law enforcement officials. The incident happened around 2 p.m.
The suspect has been identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, three law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.
The officials identified the suspect to the AP but spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.
After a witness saw the suspect leave the wooded area, get in a car and flee, they were able to provide information to law enforcement. Investigators say a "BOLO" (be on the lookout) was issued, and the car was spotted on Interstate 95 in Martin County.
MSO took Routh into custody shortly after. Northbound I-95 was shut down at Martin Highway and then reopened.
"The former president is safe," according to the Secret Service. No injuries were reported.
Martin County Sheriff William Snyder spoke to WPBF about the arrest. Watch the full interview in the player above.
"We certainly have the vehicle involved in the incident...and we have the suspect they were looking for. Now the FBI and Secret Service will take over the investigation," Snyder told WPBF.
Martin County Sheriff addresses gunfire incident at Trump golf course, arrest
Asked about the arrest, Synder said it was an intense situation.
"We knew that we had a BOLO for someone who opened fire on the President of the United States, there's probably not a more volatile and potentially dangerous situation than that. Our units were completely locked on, we were ready to go. Had the vehicle fled, we'd have stopped it. Of course, god forbid, had there been a gunfight, we were ready to engage. Thankfully, because of good tactics, stopping the car, getting him out of the vehicle, we were able to stabilize the scene without any further violence," Snyder said.
The sheriff said units "waited a while" to stop the vehicle because they didn't want a high-speed chase.
"We were able to wait until we had adequate units surround the vehicle and forced it to stop," he said. "We did not give him an opportunity to put up a fight. We had him contained, forced off the road, taken out at gunpoint."
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.
Officials give update after apparent assassination attempt at Donald Trump's Florida golf club
This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available.
Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Michael R. Sisak in New York, and Zeke Miller and Lindsay Whitehurst contributed to this report.