Investigations are underway after a second assassination attempt on former U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida. A Secret Service agent opened fire on an armed man on Trump's International Golf Course. The suspect was arrested after fleeing by car.
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00:00A heavy police presence in West Palm Beach, Florida, as U.S. officials investigate a second
00:08assassination attempt on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
00:12Former President Donald Trump is safe and unharmed following a protective incident shortly
00:18before 2 p.m. on Sunday at Trump International Golf Club at West Palm Beach.
00:24A U.S. Secret Service personnel opened fire on a gunman located near the property line.
00:32A Secret Service agent was clearing holes ahead of Trump when he spotted a man with
00:36a firearm in the shrubbery surrounding the golf course, just 400 meters away from the
00:41former president.
00:43The Secret Service agent fired at least four shots at the suspect, but the man managed
00:48to escape and fled by car.
00:51Police shut down roads in the area and detained the suspect about 72 kilometers north of the
00:56golf course, also recovering an AK-47 assault rifle.
01:02The man in custody has been identified as Ryan Wesley Ruth, a builder in Hawaii.
01:08He had taken to social media to weigh in on politics, at times criticizing the former
01:13president.
01:14Our prosecutors are currently working up warrants and a motion for pretrial detention for the
01:20suspect.
01:22In that way, he will be kept in custody.
01:25But our filing of these warrants and charges at the state level does not preclude federal
01:30charges that could be coming.
01:35After returning to his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump released a short statement in a campaign
01:40fundraising email, saying,
01:42I am safe and well.
01:43No one was hurt.
01:44There are people in this world who will do whatever it takes to stop us.
01:49I will not stop fighting for you.
01:50I will never surrender.
01:53Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and sitting president Joe Biden reacted to
01:58the incident on social media, saying they are glad Trump is safe and reiterated that
02:03violence has no place in America.
02:06It's the second attempt on Donald Trump's life during this presidential campaign.
02:14Just over two months ago, a 20-year-old man grazed Trump's ear as he took aim at the former
02:19president during a rally in Pennsylvania.
02:22That security failure leading to the resignation of the chief of the Secret Service.
02:28Since then, security measures have been increased, and police say this time the Secret Service
02:33acted effectively.
02:35In my opinion, you know, having been in that job and knowing how tough it is and the pressure
02:40and the demands, right, on an agent from day to day, I see this as a protective win.
02:47Unfortunately, I think you're going to see that many people are going to see it as yet
02:50another failure, and I just don't see it that way.
02:57With the suspect in custody, investigations are continuing into his motive and if he acted
03:02alone.
03:04But as the race to the White House ramps up during an increasingly volatile time in the
03:08United States, it's clear that the security of the candidates will remain the top concern.
03:15I'm Dolphine Chen and Rosie Greninger for Taiwan Plus.