The fateful 12 hours of an apparent assassination attempt outside the Trump International Golf Club

CNN
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Donald Trump was walking down the fifth hole of the championship course at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, preparing for his birdie putt when the all-too-familiar sound of gunfire prompted his secret service troops to descend on the former president.

This time, however, the only shots fired came from the gun of an agent protecting Trump, not a shooter who had been watching the former president. Trump was carried to safety unharmed, while the shooter, who officials said remained near the golf course's tree line for 12 hours, fled the scene by car.

Sunday's apparent assassination attempt against Trump – the second in the last two months – has raised a number of questions, including about the movements and motives of the now-detained suspect and whether the Secret Service provided adequate protection during a last-minute golf outing.

Investigators believe Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect in the apparent murder attempt, arrived at the tree-lined fence of the golf course's southern boundary on Summit Boulevard at 1:59 a.m. Sunday morning, based on his cellphone's location data. Phone records from T-Mobile show Routh's phone was “in the vicinity of the golf course” for about 12 hours before he was first spotted by U.S. Secret Service, charging documents show.

Jeffrey Veltri, special agent in charge of the FBI's Miami field office, said at a press conference on Monday that cellphone data indicated he was “in close proximity to where he was discovered by the Secret Service.”

Authorities discovered a sniper's nest along the fence. Routh allegedly had an SKS rifle with a scope and obscured serial number. A backpack containing ceramic tiles of the type used in bulletproof vests was hanging from the fence. A GoPro camera and a black plastic bag containing groceries were also hanging from the square's fence, according to a crime scene photo released Sunday.

It is still unclear why Routh went to the golf course that day. There was nothing on Trump's public schedule, and the round of golf was a last-minute addition to Trump's schedule – an “unofficial action,” acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe said Monday.

On this muggy and overcast September day, the temperature in West Palm Beach reached 90 degrees, hardly ideal golf weather. Nevertheless, Trump is a creature of habit and often plays on the golf course during his stay at Mar-a-Lago.

On Sunday, the former president teed off with a donor, Steve Witkoff. On the fifth hole, Trump got off to a good start to his round – Trump told Sean Hannity he was at par, the Fox News host said after Sunday's incident, while a source told CNN Trump joked he was actually at two under par and in the middle of a “wonderful game of golf.”

There was a birdie putt waiting for Trump on the fifth green, Hannity said the former president told him.

As Trump walked down the fifth hole, a long par 3 over a water hazard, one of the Secret Service teams protecting him was already one hole ahead, sweeping the perimeter of the course at the sixth hole before Trump entered it.

At 1:31 p.m. ET, the agent spotted what appeared to be a rifle sticking out of the tree line on the property. According to the criminal complaint, he fired in the direction of the rifle.

“As former President Trump moved down the fifth fairway and course and out of sight of the sixth green, the agent conducting a visual search of the area of ​​the sixth green saw the suspect armed with what he believed to be a rifle and immediately fired his weapon,” Rowe said Monday.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said Sunday that Routh was about 300 to 500 feet away from the former president.

The potential shooter never had the former president in his sights, Rowe said Monday, adding: “He neither shot at our agents nor fired any shots at them.”

On Monday evening, Trump publicly reported the incident for the first time during a conversation at X Spaces.

“All of a sudden we heard shots in the air, I guess there were four or five, and it sounded like bullets. But what do I know about that? But the Secret Service knew immediately that it was bullets, and they grabbed me, and I believe the other one, Steve, is one of the people. Steve Witkoff, a good friend of mine,” Trump said.

“So we were in the group and everyone just got in the golf carts and we made pretty, pretty good progress,” he continued. “I was with an agent and the agent did a fantastic job. There was no doubt that we were off course. I would have loved to sink the last putt, but we decided we were getting out of here.”

The suspect flees and the officers “flood” the highway

After the Secret Service agent fired at his position at the fence, Routh fled in a black Nissan SUV, driving east toward I-95 and then north on the freeway, officials said.

Crucially, a nearby witness observed Routh leaving the scene of the accident and took a photo of his car and license plate. This allowed police officers from several jurisdictions to eventually stop Routh's vehicle about 45 minutes later in Martin County, more than 40 miles north of the golf course.

The eyewitness provided “extraordinary assistance” that led to the suspect's arrest, Veltri said on Monday.

On Sunday, at approximately 1:55 p.m. Eastern Time, the Martin County Sheriff's Office received a BOLO (a “Be Watch” alert) report of a suspect traveling north on I-95. It included a vehicle description and license plate number.

Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said his agency “flooded” the highway. The area where Routh was arrested Sunday was “swarming with law enforcement officers,” he said.

Every available unit – about 30 men in total, he estimated – went searching, Snyder said Monday.

A patrol officer saw the suspect vehicle at mile marker 110 and alerted others. He followed but did not attempt to stop the vehicle immediately, Snyder said. Instead, the patrol officer waited until two large F-250 pickup trucks pulled into position on the highway and brought the vehicle to a stop near State Route 714.

At 2:14 p.m. ET, officers conducted a felony stop and asked Routh to exit the vehicle. He returned and was handcuffed, the sheriff said, and taken into custody, Snyder said. Routh was asked if he knew why he was stopped and he answered “in the affirmative,” according to the affidavit supporting the criminal complaint.

“His expression was so blank. His demeanor was relaxed,” Snyder said of Routh. “I really thought he looked like someone who had just left the church picnic and was on his way home.”

Routh was driving his daughter's car when he was arrested, according to a law enforcement source. The Nissan SUV's license plate was registered to a white 2012 Ford truck that had been reported stolen, charging documents show.

The witness who initially saw Routh flee the golf course was flown to the scene by Palm Beach County Sheriff's helicopter to identify Routh after he was taken into custody, Snyder told CNN's Erin Burnett on Monday night. The Martin County Sheriff's Office turned Routh over to the FBI and Secret Service when they arrived at the scene, Snyder added.

Routh was initially charged Monday morning with two counts: possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Additional charges may be filed, law enforcement officials familiar with the matter told CNN.

CNN's Kristen Holmes, Evan Perez, Holmes Lybrand, Michael Williams, Devan Cole, Eric Levinson and Andy Rose contributed to this report.