One person has been arrested and an assault rifle recovered after “an apparent assassination attempt” on Donald Trump, according to the FBI.
Mr Trump was playing a round at Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach when the incident occurred.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters that a Secret Service agent – who was patrolling the course ahead of Mr Trump – spotted a rifle barrel coming out of a perimeter fence surrounding the course.
“He immediately engaged that individual, at which time the individual took off,” he said.
A witness spotted the man fleeing the scene in a black Nissan and reported it to police.
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Secret Service move Trump to safety after shots heard
Officers later searched the area where the man was spotted and found an AK-47-style rifle with a scope, two rucksacks and a GoPro.
Earlier Martin County Sheriff William Snyder described how his officers followed the suspect vehicle for a while before making a “felony stop”.
“Our road units picked the vehicle up and we waited a while. We didn’t stop him right away. We didn’t want a high-speed chase.
“So we were able to wait until we had adequate units, surrounded the vehicle, and forced it to a stop.”
He added that due to good tactics, they managed to take the suspect into custody peacefully.
It is not yet known whether the suspect fired first or fired a round at all or if only the Secret Service fired.
One person is currently being questioned by local police and a gun was found in the bushes near where the former president was playing.
Afterwards, a statement from Mr Trump said: “There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL!
“Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER! I will always love you for supporting me.
“Unity. Peace. Make America Great Again. May God bless you.”
A witness said he saw “20 or more cop cars flying from nearby streets” as he described the emergency response outside Mr Trump’s golf course.
“From what I saw, five black unmarked SUVs blocked in a grey Mercedes in front of the golf course,” Max Egusquiza told the AP news agency.
“There were about 20 or more cop cars flying from nearby streets,” he said.
Mr Trump has since returned to his Mar-a-Lago resort.
A White House statement said: “The President and Vice President have been briefed about the security incident at the Trump International Golf Course, where former President Trump was golfing.
“They are relieved to know that he is safe. They will be kept regularly updated by their team.”
It comes two months after the Republican presidential nominee was shot during an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.
