BURSTThe state of Florida has charged Ryan Wesley Routh — the man accused of attempting to assassinate President-elect Trump at one of his Florida golf courses — with attempted felony murder, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced Wednesday.
Moody said law enforcement obtained an arrest warrant from a Martin County, Fla., judge Wednesday morning as a result of the state's investigation into the September assassination attempt at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.
The charge stems from Routh's attempt to escape law enforcement following the alleged assassination attempt. Moody said that when Routh fled the scene, law enforcement shut down traffic, which caused 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 said state law enforcement received a "lack of cooperation and support" from federal officials investigating the alleged assassination attempt. She accused them of blocking access to the crime scene, evidence and witness interviews, and said when the state expressed interest in charging Routh over the girl's injuries, it was discouraged from doing so.
"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 regardless.
The state 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 plotting to kill Trump as he golfed earlier this year, staking out the perimeter of the president-elect's course near its sixth hole for about 12 hours until he was noticed and fled.
He faces five charges, including counts saying he attempted to assassinate a major political candidate while possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number despite being a convicted felon, and has pleaded not guilty.