Ryan Routh, who tried to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump at his golf course in September, is facing a new felony attempted murder charge connected to his flight from law enforcement.
The charge stems from when Routh fled law enforcement, forcing them to shut down traffic. The traffic shutdown caused an accident that almost killed a young girl.
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Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced the charges Wednesday, also saying that law enforcement obtained an arrest warrant for Routh.
“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,” she said.
The charges weren’t initially filed because state law enforcement received a “lack of cooperation and support” from federal officials following the attempt on Trump’s life. Moody accused the officials of locking access to the crime scene, evidence and witness interviews. She also said state officials were discouraged from charging Routh for the girl’s injuries.
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“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 decided to continue their investigation anyways.
Florida sued Attorney General Merrick Garland in October over his alleged role in blocking their investigation.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) said he expects the “federal roadblocks” to be removed when Trump takes office.
“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.”
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Routh attempted to assassinate Trump with a semi-automatic rifle at the president-elect’s golf course in Florida on Sept. 15. He failed, never letting off a shot after he pointed the weapon through the shrubs he was hiding in. Secret Service agents fired on Routh, and he fled before being arrested.
The attempt was just two months after Trump was shot in the ear by a gunman during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.