Secret Service agents ‘exemplary’ during Trump assassination attempt, friend says
ABC News
(NEW YORK) — Steve Witkoff — a friend of, and donor to, former President Donald Trump — told ABC News’ Good Morning America on Tuesday that Secret Service agents protecting the Republican presidential nominee during Sunday’s apparent assassination attempt did “exactly what they’re supposed to do.”
Witkoff was with the former president at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, when Secret Service agents fired several shots at would-be gunman Ryan Wesley Routh, who was allegedly concealed in a tree line 300 to 500 yards from the Republican presidential nominee.
“We were having a great day,” Witkoff said of the incident, during which Secret Service agents rushed Trump to a safe location.
He added that, after hearing the first shot, “I saw the Secret Service do exactly what they’re supposed to do, which was get right on top of the president.” There were “a whole bunch” of agents on top of Trump, Witkoff said.
“They did that job in an exemplary way,” he said. “I was almost mesmerized by everything that was happening.”
“In quick succession, there were four shots and then the Secret Service was whisking him out of there, getting him back to the club house, as he’s the first priority — he’s the protectee,” Witkoff said. “They were engaging in that corner on the sixth hole where evidently … this would-be assassin had put himself, had created a sort of lair there.”
Trump, he said, was “looking over” and “gesturing” to the area at which the Secret Service agents fired. As he was rushed away, the former president appeared “very concerned” about the friends and staffers with him on the course, Witkoff said.
“That’s all he was concerned about,” Witkoff said.
Routh, 58, lay in wait for Trump for nearly 12 hours, authorities said. Secret Service Acting Director Ron Rowe Jr. said the suspect did not fire any shots or have a line of sight on the former president at any time.
Secret Service agents spotted Routh’s gun barrel poking out from the tree line near the sixth green, authorities said. After they fired at the suspect, Routh fled leaving behind a digital camera, two bags including a backpack, and a loaded SKS-style 7.62×39 caliber rifle with a scope.
Routh was detained attempting to leave the area in a vehicle, a witness having reported his license plate number to police. He appeared in court on Monday and currently faces two felony gun charges.
Trump said during an online conversation on the platform X — formerly known as Twitter — that he “was with an agent and the agent did a fantastic job.” The former president posted to the Truth Social platform soon after the incident on Sunday: “I would like to thank everyone for your concern and well wishes – It was certainly an interesting day!”
Republican vice presidential nominee, Sen. J.D. Vance speaks with media at the airport before he departs, Sept. 14, 2024, in Greenville, N.C. (Allison Joyce/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Haitian migrants residing in Springfield, Ohio, shared with ABC News their harrowing experiences of living in constant fear, expressing deep concerns about their safety that prevent them from venturing outside their homes.
In a town of more than 58,000 residents, threats of bombings and shootings led to the closure of city buildings and schools for several days. Wittenberg University canceled all activities on Sunday and classes on Monday as a precautionary measure.
James Fleurijean, a Haitian Community Help & Support Center member, stated that the continual spread of false and divisive statements from prominent politicians was fostering an environment of fear.
“I know some parents like for this period of time they’re trying to keep their children home, like, by the time they see how things gonna be, like, wait for a couple of weeks to see if things that are calm down, or if things gonna escalate,” Fleurijean said. “You see, that’s why, like some parents, they don’t even send their children to school, like, for this week.”
Politicians, including former President Donald Trump, have heightened their fears. At the presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris last week, Trump claimed, “In Springfield, people are resorting to eating dogs, cats, and other household pets.”
Trump did not specify the ethnicity of the migrants he claimed were eating pets in Springfield, but on X, his running mate JD Vance continuously raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services.
“Kamala Harris dropped 20,000 Haitian migrants into a small Ohio town and chaos has ensued,” Vance said on X.
Vance appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press and informed reporters that Ohio locals have been lodging complaints for at least a year now.
“I have heard firsthand from multiple constituents – people who made 911 calls a month ago, a year ago, who were making these complaints,” Vance said. “I trust my constituents more than I do the American media that has shown no interest in what’s happened in Springfield until we started sharing cat memes on the Internet.”
ABC News spoke with a 28-year-old Haitian man who wanted to remain anonymous. He said he had come to Springfield from New Jersey less than a year ago to search for work. While waiting for ABC News, a passerby yelled “TRUMP” at him, he said.
The man mentioned that he used to see a lot of Haitians on the street, but he doesn’t see them anymore. He believes they are afraid. He mentioned that the Haitian community has felt terrorized.
Ohio’s Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has dismissed the rumors about Haitian immigrants eating pets as nonsense. He says the discussion has to stop and the focus should be on moving forward, not dogs and cats.
“Ohio is on the move, and Springfield has really made a great resurgence with a lot of companies coming in,” DeWine said. “These Haitians came in to work for these companies. They’re very happy to have them there. And, frankly, that’s helped the economy.”
The majority of the 12,000 to 15,000 migrants who have arrived in Springfield over the past four years are from Haiti, according to the city of Springfield. These Haitian migrants left their country due to gang-related violence and poverty, in search of stability, safety, and job opportunities. They came to the U.S. under the Temporary Protected Status designation.
(HAUSER, Ore.) — A search is underway for a 5-year-old boy in Oregon who has been missing since Saturday.
Joshua McCoy went missing from his home in Hauser, according to the Coos County Sheriff’s Office. He and his mother had taken a nap Saturday afternoon, but when his mother woke up around 5:30 p.m. local time, Joshua was missing, according to the sheriff’s office.
Joshua has autism and may not respond when called, the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office has activated CORSAR — the California Oregon Regional Search and Rescue Task Force — to help search for the child.
Drones and K-9 resources have been involved in the search. The sheriff’s office said it has also requested assistance from state and federal agencies, with additional resources expected to arrive on Tuesday.
The sheriff’s office said they have found “some clues” so far during the search, though “nothing definitive.”
“Nothing is being ruled out at this time as we are considering all possible avenues,” the Coos County Sheriff’s Office said in an update on Monday. “We maintain hope that Joshua will be found alive and well.”
Joshua, who turns 6 on Saturday, was described by authorities as 3 feet, 6 inches tall and 50 to 60 pounds, with brown eyes and brown shoulder-length hair.
A Firefighter works in a evacuated home in flames at El Cariso Village as the Airport Fire burns on September 10, 2024 in Lake Elsinore, California. (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)
(LOS ANGELES) — Three rapidly growing Southern California wildfires have burned more than 100,000 acres in less than a week and continued to threaten homes in multiple communities as the state mobilized an all-hands-on-deck response to bolster front-line fire crews battling the raging flames.
Nearly 6,000 National Guard members, law enforcement officers and other first responders have been sent to the firelines. Additionally, a squadron of 51 firefighting helicopters, nine fixed-wing aircraft, including two National Guard C-130 airplanes, 520 fire engines, 75 bulldozers and 141 water tankers were being used in an attempt to tame the blazes, two of which were out of control Wednesday.
The biggest blaze is the Bridge Fire, which ignited Sunday in the Angeles National Forest about 31 miles east of downtown Los Angeles and exploded overnight from about 4,000 acres on Tuesday to nearly 48,000 acres by Wednesday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The fire remained out of control with 0% containment after spreading across Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, destroying the Mountain High Ski Resort where images emerged of the chairlift going up in flames. The fire is also threatening the small mountain communities of Wrightwood and Mt. Baldy, officials said.
At least 33 homes in Wrightwood and Mt. Baldy have been destroyed and another 2,500 structures in the area are being threatened by the fire, according to Cal Fire.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
During a news conference Wednesday, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said three people, including an off-duty sheriff sergeant, were trapped by the Bridge Fire about 5 miles west of Mt. Baldy in Los Angeles County. Luna said efforts are underway to rescue the people, who are unable to access roads and need to be airlifted out of the remote area. Luna said heavy smoke in the area was preventing a helicopter from reaching the trapped people and the Los Angeles County Fire Department was attempting to get to them by vehicle.
“It’s just a nightmare,” Candace Lace, a homeowner in Lake Elsinore, a town being threatened by the Bridge Fire, told ABC News. “My girlfriend lost her home and I had to call her and tell her she’s losing her home. I could see it on fire.”
By Wednesday morning, the Bridge Fire had consumed 47,904 acres and prompted numerous evacuation orders and warnings, according to Cal Fire.
Stephanie Beck, a resident of Wrightwood, told ABC News that she has never seen a blaze move as quickly as the Bridge Fire.
“We really didn’t even have time to think,” Beck said of evacuating the fire zone. “It was just throw everything in the car and go.”
The Line Fire
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department arrested a man Tuesday in connection with the Line Fire ravaging areas east of Los Angeles since Sept. 5.
Justin Wayne Halstenberg, a 34-year-old man from Norco, California, was identified “as the suspect who started a fire in the area of Baseline Road and Alpin Street in the city of Highland, also known as the Line Fire,” the Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.
Halstenberg was being held on suspicion of arson with his bail set at $80,000, officials said.
As of Wednesday, the Line Fire had burned 34,659 and was at 14% contained, according to Cal Fire. The sprawling fire is threatening more than 65,600 structures, including homes and commercial property, according to the latest update.
Authorities issued evacuation orders for 13,300 structures with another 52,300 under evacuation warnings. Evacuation orders were issued for 9,200 structures in the area, with another 56,400 structures under evacuation warnings, Cal Fire said.
No structures are confirmed damaged or destroyed. Three firefighters have been injured in the effort to contain the blaze, fire officials said.
“Today elevated winds and continued dry conditions will allow the fire to grow,” Cal Fire said in a statement. “Smoke from fires across the region will help moderate fire activity unless the skies clear and the smoke thins. That would allow for more slope and vegetation aligned runs.
More than 3,100 firefighting personnel were battling the blaze.
Gov. Gavin Newsom requested Federal Emergency Management Agency aid Tuesday evening to “secure vital resources to suppress the Bridge and Airport fires.”
The Airport Fire
The Airport Fire — which broke out on Monday in an unincorporated area of Orange County and spread to Riverside County — had burned 22,376 acres as of Wednesday, growing by 3,348 acres overnight, according to Cal Fire. The blaze is 0% contained.
The blaze is threatening 10,500 structures, including homes and businesses, and has so far injured five firefighters and two civilians, Cal Fire said.
The Airport Fire began around 1 p.m. PT on Tuesday, sparked by county public works crews working on a fire prevention project by trying to move boulders to prevent public access — mostly by motorcyclists — to an area of the canyon with a lot of dry vegetation that could ignite easily, officials told ABC Los Angeles station KABC.
At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, officials said 1,400 homes in Robinson Ranch in Rancho Santa Margarita were under mandatory evacuation due to the fire moving south toward communities like Lake Elsinore and Dove Canyon.
A total of 16 active wildfires were scorching California on Wednesday and have burned 613,819 acres, according to a statement Gov. Newsom released Tuesday.
So far this fire season, 6,045 wildfires have erupted in California and consumed more than 900,000 acres, Newsom said.
ABC News’ Marilyn Heck contributed to this report.
