Gunshots were fired in the vicinity of former US President, Donald Trump, on Sunday, according to his campaign team.
Trump was playing golf at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach before gunshots began to ring out.
Steven Cheung, the spokesperson for the Trump campaign team, confirmed the development in a statement, but did not go into details.
The suspect was said to have fled in an SUV and was later apprehended in a nearby county without a weapon.
Law enforcement officials said an AK-style firearm was found at the scene.
It is not immediately clear whether Trump was the shooter’s target.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the entire golf course would have been lined with law enforcement if Trump was the sitting president, but because he’s not, “security is limited to the areas that the areas that the Secret Service deems possible.”
“I would imagine that the next time he comes to the golf course, there will probably be a little more people around the perimeter, Bradshaw said. “But the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done, they provided exactly what the protection should have been and their agent did a fantastic job.”
Former presidents and their spouses have Secret Service protection for life, but the security posture around former presidents varies depending on threat levels and exposure, with the toughest typically being in the immediate aftermath of their leaving office.
Trump’s protective detail has been higher than some of his peers because of his high visibility and his campaign to seek the White House again. His security was bolstered days before the July assassination attempt in Pennsylvania because of a threat on Trump’s life from Iran, U.S. officials said.
Trump was the subject of the apparent assassination attempt, according to the FBI.
Anthony Guglielmi, US Secret Service spokesperson, said the agency is investigating the “protective incident” in conjunction with the police.
Guglielmi said there would be a media briefing soon.
The White House said President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris have been briefed on the incident.
“They are relieved to know that he is safe. They will be kept regularly updated by their team,” the White House said in a statement.
The incident comes about two months after the former president survived an assassination attempt during a rally.
