STUART, Fla. — The man arrested in connection to an apparent attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump followed sheriff’s directions and was taken into custody without incident, video of the apprehension released on Monday showed.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office made the footage available less than 24 hours after gunfire erupted near Trump’s Florida golf course, where the former president had been playing.
Body camera footage showed several armed police of sheriff’s deputies confronting Ryan Wesley Routh, 58.
“Driver, take two steps to your right! Take two steps to your right! Driver go straight back, keep walking,” an unidentified deputy could be heard and seen yelling at the suspect.
That’s when a man with a t-shirt pulled over his head, exposing his midsection, came into the camera’s range with his hands up.
Two law enforcement agents then grabbed his hands and handcuffed the man, the video showed.
The deputy yelling instructions was the the agent who spotted Routh’s car and initiated the pullover, Martin County Sheriff William Snyder told NBC News.
As soon as Routh was taken into custody, that arresting deputy stayed with the suspect with his body camera activated in case he made any incriminating statements, according to Snyder.
Routh has been charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, officials said.
He was taken into custody on Sunday while driving on Interstate 95. A witness who spotted Routh and his car was crucial to helping law enforcement find the suspect quickly, officials said,
“If the witness had not seen him, taken a picture of the car, given us the tag … I would say he would be home resting, having a margarita right about now,” Snyder told NBC News.
Law enforcement benefitted from Routh not knowing deputies were on to him, the sheriff added.
“He was just driving with the flow of traffic. Yeah, I think that he may have thought he got away with it,” Snyder told reporters earlier on Monday. “Of course, he couldn’t have known that there was a witness who really did the right thing, took a picture of him, took a picture of the tag. And he was just going to drive himself back to wherever he came from.”
The sheriff said he wants to know how an armed man could have even been within several hundred feet of a former president.
“I think that’s the question the FBI (and) Secret Service are laser focused on today. Is this guy part of a conspiracy? Is he a lone gunman?” Snyder said. “If he’s a lone gunman, President Trump is that much safer because we have him. But if he’s part of a conspiracy, then this whole thing really takes on a very ominous tone.”
Jesse Kirsch and Carmen Gonzales reported from Stuart, Florida, David K. Li reported from New York City.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
