U.S.

Bodycam video shows arrest of suspect in apparent Trump attempted assassination

By Stephen Smith

Updated on: September 16, 2024 / 2:46 PM EDT / CBS News

Newly released bodycam video shows the man arrested in connection with an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump being taken into custody by sheriff's deputies on a Florida highway.

The video released by the Martin County Sheriff's Office on Monday shows Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, being detained without incident on Sunday while he was driving north on I-95. The arrest came after Secret Service agents engaged with a suspect pointing a high-powered rifle at the Florida golf course where Trump was golfing, officials said.

"Driver, take two steps to your right!" an unidentified officer can be heard yelling at the suspect. "Take two steps to your right! Driver, go straight back, keep walking."

A man with a shirt pulled over his head can then be seen walking near a vehicle with his hands up as multiple officers handcuff him and lead him off camera. Several sheriff deputies and a police dog can be seen watching the arrest unfold.

Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said in an interview that he arrived at the scene shortly after Routh was pulled over.

"I was at the scene right after the stop. I had gone from my house," Snyder said. "… He never so much as asked what's going on. He just sat there, really, like he was going to a picnic."

Routh was charged with two firearm offenses in federal court on Monday. If convicted on the two firearms charges, he could face a maximum sentence of 20 years.

Routh was armed with an AK-47-style rifle and was allegedly 300 to 500 yards away from Trump when members of the Secret Service detail spotted him and opened fire, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw. There is no indication Routh ever fired the rifle, a federal source told CBS News on Monday.

Law enforcement officials said Routh was spotted by a member of Trump's Secret Service detail on the perimeter of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach a few holes ahead of where the former president was golfing.

Officials said they found the rifle, a scope, two backpacks with ceramic tile and a GoPro camera in the bushes at the golf course.