A man accused of a second assassination attempt on former President Trump appeared “calm and collected” as officers approached him and indicated he knew “the plan was over,” according to the Florida sheriff who arrested him.
In an interview with America Report on Monday, Martin County Sheriff William Snyder praised police and credited a passerby who submitted a photo of the black Nissan used by 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh to make the getaway.
Minutes earlier, a Secret Service agent had spotted Routh pointing a rifle over a fence and fired in his direction. Trump International Golf Club The former president was playing golf in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Ryan Routh, the suspect in an attempted assassination attempt on President Trump, was seen being taken into custody on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in body camera footage released on Monday. (Martin County Sheriff's Office)
“The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and “The police department and highway patrol officers who provided us with information were perfect,” Snyder said. “Without the proper civilian witnesses who provided us with the scene and photos, and without the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office providing the proper information, this guy would have slipped past us and who knows what would have happened next.”
Who is Ryan Wesley Routh: Trump Golf Club Suspect
“It was very tense” minutes before authorities pursued the would-be assassin, Snyder recalled, noting that Routh seemed strangely unfazed by the police, even though 30 rifles were pointed at him and helicopters were flying overhead.
“Right after the traffic stop, what I saw was an individual who was very calm and in control. Even though there were armed officers everywhere, probably 30 officers with rifles, helicopters overhead, Interstate 95 closed in both directions, he was in the middle of it all and never asked, 'Hey, what's this?' When I saw that, I knew what time it was,” Snyder said.
“He knew it was over and then he got caught.”
Ryan Routh is accused of pointing a rifle at former President Donald Trump while he was playing golf at a West Palm Beach, Florida, golf course on Sunday. This is being investigated as a second assassination attempt against Trump. (Source: Fox News Digital)
Snyder said at the time that he was initially informed that shots had been fired but was not given an update that the shooter was a Secret Service agent.
“We used that possibility and that intelligence to make sure they didn't feel like they were encountering armed assassins of a former president,” he said.
“We knew this was going to be possibly the most high profile bust in the history of this sheriff's office,” he added. “We had received a BOLO from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. We knew the description of the vehicle, we knew the license plate. We knew they were heading north on I-95. We got onto the interstate, one of my patrol officers located the vehicle in traffic, gave us their location, surrounded the vehicle with our large truck, forced it off the road, extracted the suspect from the vehicle at gunpoint and safely detained him.”
Body camera footage captures arrest of suspect in attempted assassination of President Trump
Authorities said Routh was in possession of two backpacks, a ceramic bullet-deflecting plate and a GoPro camera when he was arrested. A rifle was also recovered by authorities.
Body camera footage released on Monday afternoon showed the moment officers arrested Routh, with officers then ordering the driver to surrender and slowly back away from the officers with his hands on his head.
Ryan Routh, the suspect in an attempted assassination attempt on President Trump, was seen being taken into custody on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in body camera footage released on Monday. (Martin County Sheriff's Office)
Routh appeared in federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday morning and was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
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Fox News has been told additional federal charges are possible. The initial indictment announced Monday will mean Routh will remain in custody.
Fox News' Steven Solans and Stephanie Price contributed to this report.
