Florida has charged Ryan Wesley Routh — the man accused of attempting to assassinate President-elect Trump at one of his Florida golf courses — with another charge, attempted felony murder, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced Wednesday. Moody stated that law enforcement obtained an arrest warrant from a Martin County, Fla., judge on Wednesday morning, following the state’s investigation into the September assassination attempt at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.
The charge arises from Routh’s attempt to evade law enforcement following the alleged assassination attempt. Moody explained that as Routh fled the scene, law enforcement shut down traffic, leading to an accident that nearly killed a young girl. “As a result of that, we felt compelled to seek justice on her behalf and her family that will never be the same as they cope with her injuries,” the state attorney general said.
In her announcement, Moody stated that state law enforcement received a “lack of cooperation and support” from federal officials investigating the alleged assassination attempt. She accused federal authorities of blocking access to the crime scene, evidence, and witness interviews, and added that when the state sought to charge Routh for the young girl’s injuries, it was discouraged from pursuing that course of action.
“It was made known that they intended to shut down our investigation and invoke federal jurisdiction in doing so,” she said, adding that Florida authorities made the decision to continue their investigation regardless. Florida sued U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in October for attempting to block the state from conducting its own investigation.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had planned to participate in the announcement but weather prevented his travel, Moody said. “The tide will turn on January 20th and we fully expect that the federal roadblocks will be removed,” DeSantis wrote on social platform X. “The would-be assassin needs to face the full force of justice and the people deserve the truth about the defendant’s history, motivations and plan.”
Routh is accused by federal prosecutors of attempting to kill Trump while he was golfing earlier this year. Authorities claim Routh staked out the perimeter of the president-elect’s golf course near its sixth hole for about 12 hours before he was spotted and fled. He faces five charges, including attempting to assassinate a major political candidate, possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number despite being a convicted felon, and has pleaded not guilty to all charges, The Hill reported.