The gunman suspected of attempting to assassinate former US President Donald Trump at his Florida golf course was once convicted of possessing a “weapon of mass destruction”, court records have revealed.
Ryan Wesley Routh was taken into custody on Sunday (local time) after allegedly lying in wait to assassinate the Republican Presidential candidate.
Police will allege the 58-year-old, who has lived in North Carolina, planned to ambush the former president with an AK-style rifle.
However the attempt was foiled by Secret Service agents who spotted the gun barrel poking through the fence and opened fire.
The suspect fled the scene in a black Nissan – leaving his rifle, two bags and GoPro camera – but was arrested a short time later.
Records from North Carolina’s Department of Adult Corrections show the alleged gunman had a lengthy criminal record, with convictions including possessing stolen goods, carrying a concealed weapon and hit and run.
The records date back to 2002 when Routh – who is believed to have lived in Greensboro, North Carolina – was convicted of possessing a “weapon of mass destruction”.
Local news reports from December that year reveal Routh had a three-hour standoff with authorities after he was pulled over by police, who spotted a firearm inside the car.
The then-36 year old fled fled to his nearby United Roofing business, where he barricaded himself inside.
He was charged with carrying a concealed weapon as well as possession of a weapon of mass destruction, Greensboro’s News & Record reported.
He was also charged with resisting, delaying and obstructing a law enforcement officer and driving while his license was revoked.
The charging officer involved in the case spoke to Wired after the alleged assassination attempt, telling the US magazine Routh was well known to police in the area and she “figured he was either dead or in prison by now.”
Tracy Fulk told Wired she had pulled Routh over because she knew he didn’t have a current driver’s license, but as she approached his truck she spotted a gun in the car.
“I drew my gun and started saying, ‘Hey! Show me your hands, show me your hands.’ And he just basically pulled into his driveway and ran into his house,” she said.
“So we ended up having a [Special Response Team] callout and a big standoff for a couple of hours before they went in and we arrested him.”
The now-retired Greensboro Police officer said she wasn’t the only officer who “had a standoff” with Routh, telling Wired “we always knew he had weapons.”
The local Fox News affiliate in Greensboro spoke to a former neighbour of Routh on Sunday who said the 58 year old had “a lot of guns and stuff” at this property, adding that “a lot of people were afraid of him back in the day”.
The ex-neighbour told the local news channel she spoke to Routh in May, just before he moved to Hawaii, and she “would never have guessed” he would be involved in an attempted assassination just four months later.
“I thought he was just living the life in Hawaii with the girlfriend and all, so for him to be assassinating the president, that’s just crazy,” she said.
“If I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I mean the pictures and stuff and all, then I wouldn’t be able to believe that.”
The alleged gunman’s social media posts indicate that he had supported Trump during the 2016 presidential election, but that he had grown incredibly angry with the former president in the years since.
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Publish date : 2024-09-15 19:13:00
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