The man arrested in connection to the apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump did not fire a shot and did not have a line of sight of the president, the Secret Service said on Monday.
Authorities believe Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, pointed a high-powered rifle through a fence near where Trump was playing golf at his club in Florida on Sunday. A Secret Service agent reportedly saw an individual and what appeared to be a rifle in the treeline before firing in that direction.
“With reports of gunfire, the former president’s close protection detail immediately evacuated the president to a safe location,” Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. said.
Authorities detaining Ryan Wesley Routh after a traffic stop in Florida. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office via Scripps News)
Routh was able to flee the scene in a Nissan SUV. He was arrested a short time later after a witness described the alleged gunman to authorities. According to a criminal complaint, deputies with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office pulled Routh over nearby on I-95.
“He was driving with the flow of the traffic,” said Martin County Sheriff William Snyder. “I think he may have thought he got away with it.”
Routh made an appearance in Federal Court on Monday. He was wearing dark prison scrubs with his feet and hands shackled, according to Scripps News West Palm Beach. He was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. If convicted, Routh could face up to 15 years in prison for the first charge and five years for the second.
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Investigators are still determining a timeline of the events and how Routh got within several hundred yards of the former president. The criminal complaint states that cellphone records show his phone was in the area 12 hours before a Secret Service agent spotted Routh.
Rowe said the golf course was not swept before Trump began golfing, but he added that agents were sweeping several holes ahead of Trump to identify any threats.
“The protective methodologies of the Secret Service were effective,” Rowe said.
It’s still unclear when and how Routh obtained a firearm. The FBI, however, said it has no information indicating that Routh was working with anyone else.
What to know about the suspect
Routh lived in North Carolina prior to moving to Hawaii, where he owned a construction company.
The 58-year-old has been an outspoken critic of Trump and a supporter of Ukraine. He reportedly volunteered to fight for Ukraine in its war with Russia. He also calls the former president “an idiot, a buffoon, and a fool” in his self-published book.
Routh has a criminal past involving guns. In 2002, the Greensboro News & Record reported Routh barricaded himself inside a roofing business in North Carolina during a three-hour standoff with police. Routh was hit with several charges in the incident, including possession of a weapon of mass destruction, which was a fully automatic machine gun.
Officials speak out
President Joe Biden has called on Congress to provide the Secret Service with more support.
“I think Congress should respond to their need,” President Biden said on Monday, adding the Secret Service can determine whether that means more personnel.
White House Senior Deputy Press Secretary Emilie Simons said in a statement Monday that President Biden and former President Trump “shared a cordial conversation,” in which President Biden conveyed relief that Trump was safe.
Vice President Kamala Harris has also previously said she was thankful Trump is safe.
“I am deeply disturbed by the possible assassination attempt of former President Trump today,” Harris said in a statement on Sunday. “As we gather the facts, I will be clear: I condemn political violence. We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more to violence.”
This story was originally published by Scripps News an E.W. Scripps company.
