(NewsNation) — Acting United States Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe called the agency’s response to Sunday’s attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump “textbook” and praised agents for rising to the challenge of an “unprecedented threat environment.”
In a press conference, Rowe noted that an advance agent spotted the suspect, who was on the public side of the fence near the sixth green, and immediately fired on the suspect. The suspect then fled without firing any shots at the Secret Service agent or former president. He was later captured on Interstate 95 and taken into custody.
He said that Trump was still on the fifth fairway at the time, out of sight of the suspect, and was immediately evacuated to a safe location by his detail.
Rowe also confirmed that advanced protections ordered by President Joe Biden following the first assassination attempt on Trump were in place at the time.
The acting director also praised local law enforcement for their role in securing the area and detaining the suspect. He credited the agent’s hypervigilance and quick action for preventing the suspect from getting any shots off before he fled.
Investigators said they have no indication the suspect was working with anyone else at this time. They also noted that the suspect quickly requested a lawyer when they began questioning him, as is his right.
Authorities also confirmed that Mar-a-Lago is at the highest possible security level following the attempt. Investigators said what they could share was limited because it is an ongoing investigation and case, noting that it has only been slightly over 24 hours since the attempt.
Rowe also said he is working to lead a “paradigm shift” at the Secret Service, to move the agency from a reactive model to a readiness model. He cited not just domestic political violence but possible emerging threats from geopolitical changes. Rowe said he was confident the agency would get the funding and resources it needs from Congress.
The suspect in the attempted assassination at Trump’s West Palm Beach, Florida, golf course Sunday is facing two firearms charges after making an initial court appearance Monday.
Ryan Wesley Routh is facing one charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and one charge of possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. The first charge comes with a penalty of up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, while the second has a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
A pretrial detention hearing is set for Sept. 23, and an arraignment date has been set for Sept. 30.
Martin County Sheriff William Snyder credited the witness who helped alert authorities to the suspect with being instrumental in helping apprehend Routh. He also credited the patrol officers who stopped Routh on an interstate and arrested him.
According to a charging document, authorities used a WhatsApp number listed on a Facebook post from Routh to help determine his location during the events.
The FBI is investigating the incident as an assassination attempt, the second one faced by the former president in recent months.
Routh, 58, had a criminal record in North Carolina, where he lived before moving to Hawaii. His record went back to 1997, including a charge in 2002 for possessing a weapon of mass destruction.
Routh was registered as an unaffiliated voter in North Carolina and voted in the Democratic primary. It appears he voted for Trump in 2016 but was disappointed in his administration. Routh also seemed to believe in COVID-19 conspiracies and to have attempted to recruit volunteers to go serve in Ukraine.
The incident was the second assassination attempt on Trump. In July, a shooter opened fire at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, narrowly missing the former president. One attendee was killed in the shooting, and two others were injured.
The Secret Service has been under pressure to explain how the July shooting was allowed to happen, with the agency facing multiple investigations. Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned in the wake of the shooting.
President Joe Biden told reporters Monday he’d spoken with Trump about the incident, a White House official confirmed with NewsNation.
“We had a very nice call. It was about Secret Service protection,” a Trump campaign spokesperson said.
Authorities have stressed that this attempt was not the same, with agents spotting the threat and engaging before any shots could be fired by the suspect. However, it is likely the agency will face more questions as to how another person got so close to a presidential candidate armed with a gun.