Ryan Wesley Routh Identified as Would-Be Ass@ssin of Donald Trump

Law enforcement has identified 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh as the suspect in an attempted assassination of former U.S. President Donald Trump.

According to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, Routh had been living in Hawaii and previously worked as a construction worker in North Carolina.

The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon while Trump was playing golf at his Trump International Golf course. Around 1:30 p.m., a man was seen pointing a rifle through the fence surrounding the course.

Sheriff Bradshaw reported at a press conference that the suspect was near the fourth or fifth hole—one or two holes ahead of where Trump was at the time. Trump was estimated to be between 400 and 500 yards away from the gunman.

Fortunately, a U.S. Secret Service agent was positioned one hole ahead of Trump's group. The agent "immediately engaged" the individual after spotting him in the shrubbery by the fence, according to Sheriff Bradshaw. The officer fired at the suspect, causing him to abandon his weapon and flee the scene in a black Nissan SUV.

A witness recounted seeing the suspect running from the bushes before jumping into the vehicle. The witness managed to take a photograph of the vehicle, which helped authorities track the suspect using the license plate information.

Bradshaw further revealed that the suspect had an "AK-style rifle with a scope," along with two backpacks and a GoPro camera, which were all found hanging from the fence. Photos released by law enforcement show the rifle positioned between two black bags, pointed through a gap in the fence, with the GoPro camera attached nearby.

After fleeing in the SUV, the suspect was apprehended in a neighboring county without the weapon. The witness who had taken the photograph of the vehicle was brought to the scene of the arrest and positively identified Routh as the suspect.

Teri Barbera, spokesperson for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, stated that Routh is the only person of interest in the case and is currently being interrogated. However, Barbera mentioned that no information regarding a possible motive has been provided at this time.