The photos tell a frightening story.
A gunman crawled through shrubbery near former President Donald Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, Sunday afternoon, coming within 500 yards of the former president, authorities said. Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was hiding with the barrel of his AK-47-style rifle poking through a fence when it was spotted by a Secret Service agent, the last line of defense between that weapon and Trump, the Republican nominee for president.
“With a rifle and scope, like, that is not a long distance,” Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a news conference Sunday afternoon.
Pictures of the scene released by authorities in the aftermath of what they characterized as a foiled assassination attempt show the makeshift sniper nest allegedly used by Routh before agents opened fire on his position. Hanging on the chain-link fence are two bags, a black backpack containing ceramic tile and a camouflaged case, as well as a GoPro camera.
An AK-47 style rifle was found at the scene, along with backpacks and a GoPro Camera.
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office
Vines can also be seen growing up the fence, obscuring the gunman’s position from agents who authorities said were scanning for danger several holes in front of Trump, who was playing on the course’s front nine.
“The golf course is surrounded by shrubbery, so when somebody gets into the shrubbery, they’re pretty much out of sight,” Bradshaw said.
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FBI investigators work the scene in West Palm Beach, Florida.
CHANDAN KHANNA
After agents opened fire on the would-be assassin, witnesses described the suspect running from the scene and leaping into a black Nissan SUV. One bystander was able to snap a photo of the license plate, helping authorities locate the vehicle in neighboring Martin County.
Photos from the scene of the arrest on I-95 show police cruisers surrounding the suspect’s SUV.
Shortly after the incident, Fox News host Sean Hannity described Trump’s version of the day’s events.
The former president was putting on the fifth hole when he heard “pop pop pop.” Within seconds, another golfer in Trump’s party said that secret service agents “pounced” on Trump and “covered him” for protection, according to the Associated Press.
The person of interest was apprehended by deputies in neighboring Martin County.
Martin County Sheriff’s Office
The suspect is from North Carolina and Hawaii and has donated money to various Democrats 19 times since 2019, according to Federal Election Commission records.
At a press conference on Sunday afternoon, Sheriff Bradshaw also noted that Trump’s security could have been tighter.
“At this level that he is at right now, he’s not the sitting president. If he was, we would have had this entire golf course surrounded. But because he’s not, security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible,” Bradshaw said.
One of the backpacks found at the crime scene.
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office
“I would imagine that the next time he comes to a golf course, there’ll probably be a little bit more people around the perimeter. But the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done,’’ Bradshaw said.
Rafael Barros, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service in Miami acknowledged “the threat level (for Trump) is high,” according to Axios.
“We have increased the amount of assets we have supported,” Barros said. “We live in dangerous times.”
