Ryan Wesley Routh, the man suspected in a recent attempt to assassinate former President Trump, appeared calm and composed as he sat handcuffed in the back of a police car after his arrest in Florida on September 15.
A photo of the 58-year-old suspect, obtained by Fox News, shows him wearing a t-shirt and dark pants, handcuffed behind his back. This image was taken after Routh allegedly carried an AK-47-style rifle to Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, where he waited for the former president.
The photo aligns with Martin County Sheriff William Snyder’s description of Routh’s demeanor during his detainment. Snyder noted that Routh was “relatively calm” and showed little emotion, even as law enforcement with long rifles and flashing lights surrounded him.
Routh was apprehended on Interstate 95 after Secret Service agents spotted the muzzle of his gun in the bushes near the golf course where Trump was playing. An agent fired at Routh before he fled in an SUV, according to authorities.
Despite Routh’s extensive criminal record, including a 2022 conviction for possessing a weapon of mass destruction, his son later expressed doubts about his father’s violent tendencies. On social media, Routh had criticized Trump as a threat to democracy.
No charges have been filed yet, but this incident marks the second assassination attempt on Trump in three months. In July, Trump was grazed by a bullet during a Pennsylvania rally when Thomas Matthew Crooks shot at him from a nearby rooftop; Crooks, 20, was killed by the Secret Service.
