Three law enforcement officials said that a man armed with an AK-style rifle pointed the gun at former President Donald Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, while the president was playing, and that the US Secret Service opened fire. Trump was safe and unharmed, and the FBI said it was investigating a “possible assassination attempt” against the Republican presidential candidate.
The gunman dropped his weapon and fled in an SUV before being captured in a neighboring county, according to officials, who were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
An AK-type gun was recovered at the scene near the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, two officials said. No injuries were reported.
The incident was the latest shocking moment in a campaign year filled with unprecedented turmoil. It came nearly two months after Trump was involved in an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania that left him grazed by a bullet in the ear, and just a week after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.
The golf course was partially closed while Trump was playing, and agents noticed a man with a gun a few holes ahead of Trump, authorities said. There are several areas around the perimeter of the property where golfers can be seen through a fence. Secret Service agents and police officers in golf carts and ATVs typically guard the area a few holes ahead and behind Trump while he plays. Agents typically bring armored vehicles onto the course to provide quick protection for Trump if a threat arises.
Trump returned to Florida this weekend from a West Coast tour that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a fundraiser in Utah. The Trump campaign did not announce his plans for Sunday. Trump often plays golf in the morning before lunching at one of his three clubs in the state.
Since the assassination attempt in July, former President Trump has beefed up security: Dump trucks are parked along the outside wall of Trump Tower when he is at the building in New York, and he speaks at outdoor rallies from behind a bulletproof glass enclosure.
Trump was returned safely to his private club, Mar-a-Lago, in nearby Palm Beach after the incident, a person familiar with the matter said.
The White House said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, have both been briefed on the investigation and would provide updates. The White House added that they were “relieved” to learn that Trump was safe.
In a statement, Harris said she was “pleased” that Trump was safe, adding that “violence has no place in America.”
In a post by X, Senator Lindsey Graham, one of Trump’s key allies in Congress, said he spoke with Trump after the incident and that he found him in “good spirits” and “one of the strongest people I know.”
Martin County Sheriff William D. Snyder said the suspect was arrested within minutes of the FBI, Secret Service and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office issuing a “very urgent BOLO” alert that listed the specific vehicle they were searching for, its license plate number and a description of the occupant.
Snyder said officers “immediately converged on northbound Interstate 95” and deployed to all exits between the Palm Beach County line to the south and the St. Lucie County line to the north.
“One of my highway patrol officers located the vehicle, matched the license plate and approached the vehicle,” Snyder said. “We were able to apprehend the vehicle, bring it to a safe stop and take the driver into custody.”
Snyder told WPTV the suspect “was unarmed when he exited the vehicle.”
Snyder said the suspect was calm, expressionless and showed little emotion when stopped by police and did not question why he was being stopped.
“He never asked, ‘What is this?’ Obviously there are officers with long rifles and blue lights and a lot going on. He never questioned it,” Snyder said.
A Justice Department spokesman said Attorney General Merrick Garland has been briefed on the situation and receives regular updates.
The suspect was arrested about 45 miles north of Trump’s golf course near Palm City, Florida, according to a statement from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. The northbound lanes of Interstate 95 were closed, the sheriff’s office said.
There was no immediate response to messages sent to campaign officials seeking information about the security and whereabouts of Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio.
Palm Beach resident Max Exquiza described the emergency response outside Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course.
“From what I could see, five plain black SUVs were being blocked by a grey Mercedes in front of the golf course. Over 20 police cars were coming out of nearby streets,” he said.
Trump is scheduled to speak live about cryptocurrency on social media site X on Monday night at the launch of his sons’ cryptocurrency platform, and is expected to speak from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Trump is back on the campaign trail on Tuesday, holding a town hall meeting in Flint, Michigan, with his former press secretary, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and is scheduled to hold a campaign rally on New York’s Long Island on Wednesday.
He will speak at the Israel-America Council National Summit in Washington, D.C., this weekend and hold a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Saturday.
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