A man with an AK-style rifle pointed the firearm’s muzzle into Donald Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Fla., as the former president was playing a round, prompting the U.S. Secret Service to open fire. The former president is safe and unharmed, and the FBI says it is investigating “what appears to be an attempted assassination” of the Republican presidential candidate.
The suspect fled in a Nissan vehicle, local sheriff’s officials said. A witness photographed the car and provided information to authorities, who found and stopped the vehicle nearby driving on Interstate 95, officials said.
At a press conference, the FBI said it has taken over the investigation but did not offer details or more on a motive.
An AK-style firearm was recovered at the scene along with two backpacks. Inside were a Go-Pro camera and some other materials, officials said.
The Secret Service agent was doing advanced work one to two holes away from Trump when he saw the muzzle sticking out of shrubs, officials said.
A sheriff’s official said Trump was 300-500 yards from the suspect.
Roughly two months ago, Trump was shot at during an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania, and a bullet grazed his ear.
Trump had returned to Florida this weekend from a West Coast swing that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a Utah fundraiser.
The campaign did not immediately provide any additional details.
A law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation said officials were trying to determine whether the shots were fired near Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course or on the grounds. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Trump often spends the morning playing golf, before having lunch at Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach, which is one of three he owns in the state.
Trump has had a stepped-up security footprint since the assassination attempt in July. When he has been at Trump Tower in New York, a lineup of dump trucks have parked in a wall outside the building. And at outdoor rallies, he now speaks from behind an enclosure of bulletproof glass.
A message sent to campaign officials seeking information on the security status and location of Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, was not immediately returned.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
