TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — On Wednesday, officials in Florida revealed their intention to file criminal charges against a man linked to an attempted assassination of President-elect Donald Trump, an incident that led to a car accident following law enforcement’s intervention to apprehend him.
Ashley Moody, the Attorney General of Florida, disclosed that an arrest warrant has been secured for Ryan Wesley Routh, who is currently facing federal charges connected to the assassination attempt.
Moody indicated that she is seeking a charge of attempted felony murder related to a vehicle collision that critically injured a six-year-old girl, which occurred after authorities halted traffic on Interstate 95 while attempting to capture Routh. A spokesperson for the Attorney General stated that the prosecution plans to initiate this new charge once Routh is in state custody.
According to the state investigation, the multi-car pileup took place roughly 30 minutes after Routh’s apprehension on I-95; however, Moody asserted that the crash stemmed from his actions. The girl, who was in the vehicle with her family at the time, sustained significant injuries, as detailed by Moody.
“Considering the severity of the injuries along with his other criminal behavior, which we believe constitutes domestic terrorism, it elevates his actions to the level of attempted felony murder,” she remarked during a press conference.
Routh’s attorney, however, chose not to comment on the situation through their representative on Wednesday.
Currently, Routh is being detained on federal allegations of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate as well as facing charges related to firearm offenses. He has entered a plea of not guilty.
Prosecutors allege that Routh meticulously planned the assassination of Trump for several weeks before he was observed aiming a rifle through trees while Trump was golfing at his country club in West Palm Beach on September 15. Just prior to Trump being within sight, a Secret Service agent spotted Routh, who allegedly directed his rifle at the agent. In response, the agent fired shots, prompting Routh to drop his weapon and escape without discharging his own.
This incident took place two months following an earlier assassination attempt where Trump was shot and injured at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Describing the sequence of events leading to that incident, the Secret Service admitted to certain shortcomings but maintained that security protocols were effective in preventing the potential attack in Florida.
In the wake of the assassination attempt in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the state would pursue its own investigation, running alongside the federal inquiry, and that prosecutors would aim for the most serious charges permissible under state law.
It is not unusual for state and federal law enforcement agencies to conduct concurrent investigations into criminal acts since states may be able to address charges that are not available in the federal system—and vice versa.
