Police: Man Arrested After Bringing Rifle to Trump Golf Course Was There for ‘Attempted Assassination’ of Former President

Local, state, and federal police in Palm Beach County held a press conference Sunday afternoon, just hours after former president Donald Trump was nearly shot at while playing a hole at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign said in a statement Trump was leaving the club when gunshots were heard in his vicinity. CNN later reported it was believed a man with an AK-47 rifle fired rounds from a treeline and Trump’s Secret Service detail returned fire. Fox News spoke to sources who then said Trump’s Secret Service actually opened fire on the would-be gunman before he could get a shot off.

Palm Beach County County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw briefed the media about the rapidly evolving situation, noting multiple law enforcement agencies worked to detain a would-be shooter and protect Trump.

Bradshaw said bystanders saw a man run from the scene after shots were fired. The man escaped in a vehicle but was quickly arrested in nearby Martin County.

The sheriff said the man was hiding in a bush on the edge of Trump’s golf course and left behind two backpacks, a GoPro camera, and an AK-47 rifle with a scope mounted on it. He said the Secret Service did its job with distinction.

Secret Service representative thanked local police for helping to get the would-be shooter in custody and confirmed agency agents did in fact open fire before the man could target Trump with gunfire.

Police said they were treating their investigation as an “attempted assassination ” and asked people who live in the area to stay away from the golf course. Additionally, anyone with information about the incident was asked to call the FBI.

Sunday’s incident comes two months after Trump was grazed in the ear by a bullet fired by a would-be assassin as he held a rally in Pennsylvania. A Secret Service counter-sniper killed Thomas Matthew Crooks , 20, on July 13.

Trump supporter Corey Comperatore , 50, was killed in the shooting.

In a statement , Vice President Kamala Harris said, “I have been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America.”

Watch above via CNN.