Ryan Wesley Routh, the man accused of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump, has been slapped with new attempted murder charges following a car crash that severely injured a 6-year-old girl during his arrest. The crash occurred after Routh attempted to flee from police, leading to a chain-reaction collision on the highway. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced the new charges on Tuesday, stating that Routh’s actions had caused the girl’s serious injuries and could have led to her death. The charge, which stems from his alleged domestic terrorism, carries a potential sentence of life in prison.
Routh, 58, already faces federal charges related to the assassination attempt, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime. These charges carry a possible life sentence if convicted. The new state charges were filed after investigators determined that Routh’s flight from the scene of the attempted assassination directly contributed to the crash, which left the young girl critically injured.
The incident began on September 15, 2024, at Trump’s golf course in Palm Beach, Florida. As Trump was golfing at the Trump International Golf Club, a U.S. Secret Service agent conducting a security sweep spotted Routh’s partially obscured face along a fence line near the sixth hole. The agent noticed the barrel of a rifle aimed directly at him, prompting the agent to retreat. As he moved away, the agent saw the rifle barrel shift, and he fired at Routh in self-defense.
Routh fled the scene on foot and then got into a black Nissan Xterra, which was spotted by law enforcement officers traveling north on Interstate 95. A high-risk traffic stop was initiated, and authorities closed the interstate to apprehend Routh. As deputies attempted to arrest him, a bomb detection K-9 was brought in to search his vehicle.
However, while authorities were engaged in the arrest, a chain-reaction crash occurred several miles away. A driver, distracted while searching for a water bottle, failed to notice the backed-up traffic ahead and collided with a car, setting off a series of crashes. One of the cars involved in the collision contained a 6-year-old girl, who was severely injured. Her mother, in a frantic 911 call, reported that she could not immediately determine whether her daughter was breathing and was attempting to stabilize her neck as they awaited paramedics. The girl was later taken to a hospital, where she was listed in critical condition with life-threatening injuries.
Prosecutors have stated that Routh’s attempt to flee from law enforcement directly caused the crash, making his actions responsible for the catastrophic injuries to the young girl. The affidavit from the investigation describes the girl’s injuries as potentially fatal, noting that the crash could have easily resulted in her death. Fortunately, the girl survived, but the incident underscores the serious consequences of Routh’s actions.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody expressed her sorrow for the child and her family, emphasizing that while the state would continue to pursue justice for Trump, they would also fight to ensure Routh is held accountable for the harm caused to the girl and her family. Moody also criticized the federal government’s handling of the investigation, claiming that their efforts had frustrated the state’s pursuit of justice, but that they had still been able to gather evidence to support the new charges.
The assassination attempt on Trump in Palm Beach was not the first such incident. Just months earlier, in July 2024, Trump was targeted during a rally in Pennsylvania when a shooter opened fire from a rooftop. The shooter was killed by law enforcement before any serious harm could be done to Trump.
Routh is scheduled to appear in court for the federal charges on February 10, 2025. The case will be presided over by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed by Trump and has previously overseen his Mar-a-Lago classified documents case. Despite her involvement in Trump-related cases, Judge Cannon has not recused herself from Routh’s case, and the legal proceedings are set to continue.
