Secret Service Sees Arms Laras, Donald Trump Survives Shooting While Playing Golf

Donald Trump. (Wikimedia Commons/US Air National Guard/Master Sigt. Kellen Kroening/128th Air Refueling Wing)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump survived Sunday after the FBI thwarted what appeared to be an attempted murder while he was playing golf on his golf course at West Palm Beach, Florida, United States.

Secret Service agents saw and opened fire on an armed man in the bushes near the golf course property limit, a few hundred meters from where Trump played, law enforcement officials said.

The suspect left the AK-47 assault rifle and other items at the scene and fled by vehicle but was later arrested.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said Secret Service agents saw riflebarreled from the bushes about 400 to 500 yards (365 to 460 meters) from Trump, as they cleared the location of potential threats before its action.

The agents attacked the gunman, releasing at least four rounds of ammunition at around 1:30 p.m. local time.

The gunman then dropped his rifle and left two backpacks and other items and fled in a black Nissan car.

The Sheriff said a witness saw the gunman and managed to retrieve a photo of the car and its license plate before he fled.

"The Secret Service is doing exactly what it should," said Bradshaw, refusing to identify a suspect or provide a possible motive.

After the suspect fled the scene, police sent warnings to agencies across the state with information about his vehicle, which led deputy sheriffs in adjacent Martin County to arrest suspects at I-95 about 40 miles (65 km) from the golf course.

Fox News presenter Sean Hannity said he had spoken to Trump and Steve Witkoff, a New York real estate investor and Trump's old friend who was on the golf course with him on Sunday.

"They are in the fifth hole. And the way Steve describes this, the way the president describes it, the two of them have exactly the same story, is that they hear pop pop, pop pop," said Hannity.

Secret Service "recorded the president, protected him", he added.

In response to reporters' questions, officials admitted that because Donald Trump was not in office, the entire golf course was not closed.

"If he takes office, we will close the entire golf course," Bradshaw said at Sunday's briefing.

"Because he is not in office, security is limited to areas deemed possible by the Secret Service," he continued.

It's unclear whether or how the suspect knew Trump was playing golf at the time, but the attempted attack would definitely raise new questions about the level of protection he was given to him.

CNN, Fox News, and The New York Times identified suspects as Ryan Wesley Routh (58) from Hawaii, citing an unnamed law enforcement official. The FBI declined to comment.

Trump's attempted murder came just two months after he was shot in a campaign in Pennsylvania, which resulted in a minor injury to his right ear.

Both incidents highlight the challenge of maintaining the safety of presidential candidates in a highly competitive and polarized campaign with just over seven weeks ahead of the November 5 presidential election.