Man Convicted In 'Planned Sniper Attack' On Trump At FL Golf Club

FORT PIERCE, FL — The man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump "in a planned sniper attack" while the then-former president was golfing at his club last year in Florida has been found guilty of all counts, justice officials said Tuesday.

Ryan Routh, 59, of Hawaii, was found guilty of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, according to the Department of Justice.

The jury of five men and seven women convicted Routh after about two hours of deliberation.

"Today’s guilty verdict against would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh illustrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to punishing those who engage in political violence,” U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a news release.

“This attempted assassination was not only an attack on our president, but an affront to our very nation itself. I am grateful to U.S. Attorney Jason Quiñones, his entire trial team and our law enforcement partners for protecting President Trump and securing this important verdict.”

The jurors were on their way out of the courtroom after the verdict was announced when Routh grabbed a pen off a desk and tried to stab himself in the neck.

The pen Routh used to try to stab himself was a flexible pen designed to prevent people in custody from using it as a weapon, so he did not puncture his skin or otherwise hurt himself, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person could not publicly disclose specific details of the incident and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

As marshals were dragging him from the courtroom, Routh’s daughter Sara Routh began screaming, “Dad I love you, don’t do anything. I’ll get you out. He didn’t hurt anybody.”

She continued screaming as her father was taken from the courtroom, saying the case against him was rigged. She was escorted from the courtroom and later waited outside with her brother Adam Routh for the motorcade that took their father away.

Back inside the courtroom, Routh was brought before the judge, no longer wearing a jacket and tie.

During the trial, Routh, who was representing himself, was not shackled. But when he was brought before the judge after the attempted stabbing, he wore shackles.

The judge announced Routh will be sentenced on Dec. 18 at 9:30 a.m. He faces life in prison.

What Happened?

Trump was not injured when authorities said Routh shot at him on Sept. 15, 2024 at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.

The DOJ said a Secret Service special agent, at the time, was patrolling a hole ahead of Trump when he saw Routh pointing an AK-style rifle at the agent "from a sniper’s hide in the fence" near the golf course.

The agent feared for his and Trump's lives and shot at Routh before the convicted gunman fled the scene, the DOJ said.

A loaded SKS-style rifle with a scope, a magazine containing an additional 19 rounds of ammunition and steel armor plates were found at the scene. The rifle's safety was off, justice officials said.

A camera was attached to the fence pointing toward the sixth hole on the golf course, where Routh had been hiding, the DOJ said.

A witness saw Routh running across the road from the golf course before he got into a black Nissan Xterra, the DOJ said.

Routh was arrested nearly an hour later during a traffic stop on Interstate 95 north in Martin County, the FBI previously said. Authorities, at the time, alleged the Nissan's tag belonged to a stolen Ford truck.

While searching the Xterra, the DOJ said several cell phones and a list of flights out of the country in the afternoon and evening of Sept. 15, 2024 were found.

Authorities also found directions to Miami International Airport, and records for two of the cell phones showed that Routh's cell phone accessed cell towers near Trump International and Trump's Mar-a-Lago home on multiple days and times from Aug. 18 to Sept. 15, the DOJ said.

Witness testimony included someone who said he contacted authorities, telling them that Routh had brought a box to his home in April following Routh's second trip to the area near the golf course, the DOJ said.

In the box was a handwritten letter from Routh, the DOJ said. The letter read:

“Dear World. This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I am so sorry I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job."

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The Associated Press contributed reporting and writing.