An eyewitness has described the “insane” moment a suspected gunman accused of a Donald Trump assassination plot was arrested.
Daniel Rodriguez told CNN he was with his family on the I-95 interstate driving to Florida when sheriff’s deputies stopped a black Nissan car believed to have been driven by Ryan Routh.
He said: “It was insane.
“A Nissan went blazing right by us, and multiple troopers going at least 90mph passed us, too.”
He told the broadcaster: “By the end, I can say there were at least 20 patrol cars behind the Nissan.
“We waited patiently until police escorted us out of traffic. I had a pair of binoculars and saw police and several agents pointing rifles at the suspect.”
Mr Rodriguez said he initially thought there had been an accident ahead until he looked in his rear view mirror and saw the Nissan swerving in and out of traffic at high speed.
He added: “We saw multiple officers starting to speed up behind us. We saw a helicopter flying in the air and many more police starting to appear. Then, a state trooper pulled over and stopped the traffic lane.”
Just saw trumps suspect get arrested right infront of me😭 pic.twitter.com/9XaHGbKmZZ
— Dannyspitin (@dannyspitin) September 15, 2024
It came after the Secret Service foiled what the FBI called an “apparent assassination” attempt on Sunday when Trump was golfing on his course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Several Secret Service agents fired on a gunman in bushes near the property line of the golf course after he was spotted a few hundred yards from where Trump was playing, law enforcement officials said.
The FBI recovered an AK47-style firearm and scope, two backpacks and a GoPro camera from the bush the suspected gunman was hiding in.
The car the suspect fled in was stopped 45-minutes away from the golf course.
The apparent attempt on Trump's life came just two months after he was shot at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, sustaining a minor injury to his right ear.
Both incidents highlight the challenges of keeping presidential candidates safe in a hotly contested and polarised campaign with just over seven weeks to go before the November 5 election.
US reporters have identified the suspect as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii, citing unidentified law enforcement officials.
President Joe Biden said he had directed his team to ensure the Secret Service has the resources it needs to ensure Trump's safety, according to a statement released by the White House.
Former President Trump is locked in a tight presidential election race with Kamala Harris, who has had a surge in the polls since replacing Biden as the Democratic Party's candidate in July.
