'What's he going to do next?'; Martin County sergeant recalls Trump would-be shooter traffic stop

MARTIN COUNTY — It was Martin County Sheriff's Sgt. Samuel Kimmel's day off. He was at home with his wife and daughter when he got a phone call.

The call indicated "someone just tried to shoot at (former President Donald) Trump at his golf course, and the person was possibly armed with an AK-47 and was north on (Interstate) 95 and possibly just entered Martin County," Kimmel said.

Kimmel, a SWAT team member, said he looked at his wife and said he had to go. She agreed.

He left in what he was wearing — gym shorts and a T-shirt — because he didn't feel there was time to change.

Kimmel wound up being part of the Sept. 15 traffic stop on I-95 of the man accused in an attempted assassination of Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, at Trump International Golf Club near West Palm Beach.

Kimmel, who joined the Sheriff's Office in March 2016, also was among a group of sheriff's officials, including Sheriff William Snyder and Sheriff-elect John Budensiek, invited to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach for a Tuesday meeting with Trump to express his thanks.

Snyder said Trump reached out through the U.S. Secret Service and Congressman Brian Mast's office.

"It was almost like he was honored that we were there to see him," Kimmel said. "When, obviously, we're probably the most excited people in the room to see him."

Snyder and Kimmel spoke about the Mar-a-Lago trip, which came after the apprehension of Ryan Routh, 58, who was stopped on I-95 about 2 miles south of Becker Road.

"We walked in, and it was a beautiful, ornate room," Snyder said. "His staff told us that's where he entertains dignitaries, which I do not consider myself, but that's where he does dignitaries."

They waited a short time before Trump entered.

"He came in from the opposite side of the room in that really nice, popping blue suit, and he strode in," Snyder said. "He does not seem to walk. He strides. Very energetic, very alive."

Trump thanked him for coming, shook Snyder's hand and then shook everyone's hands. Pictures were taken.

Snyder said Trump was on a time crunch, noting he had to be in Michigan.

"It was clear he was going to make this happen. And he was not rushed. There was not one feeling about him that he was in a hurry, that it was perfunctory that he had to do it," Snyder said. "He was as gracious and warm as anybody could ever be."

Kimmel said it was tough to sleep the night before.

"I was very excited to go, just thinking about things that I would like to say or want to say," he said. "Then, obviously, I get there, and I'm just kind of in shock, and all I say is, 'Thank you.'"

Snyder said the handcuffs — black and powder-coated — used to secure Routh were presented to Trump. Those who took part in the apprehension signed them in silver marker.

"He held those in his hands, and he looked at them and said, 'Nobody has ever done anything like this for me before,'" Snyder said. "And I was very touched by that. He seemed extremely touched by the fact that he had the handcuffs that were on the guy who tried to kill him. The symbolism was pretty, pretty profound."

Snyder estimated the encounter with Trump was about 15 minutes. He asked them to stay for lunch, and they dined on hamburgers and French fries.

"They were very generous and courteous to us. There was no rush," Snyder said. "They showed us around, gave us a little tour, and we left."

The stop

Snyder has said about 1:55 p.m. Sept. 15 his agency got a be-on-the-lookout notice from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office with "information that a suspect had just been involved in an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump." They got a vehicle description and a tag number.

Snyder has said about 30 sheriff's officials were either at the scene or headed there before things ended.

"That's obviously a very important call so everyone is going, if they can," Kimmel said.

Kimmel said he entered I-95 at Becker Road and traveled south before turning around to head north.

"I just knew that I wanted to sit somewhere to watch the northbound traffic, and I was just looking for a place to make my U-turn," Kimmel said. "There's a lot of rain lately, I didn't want to get stuck in the median and then be watching it go by me."

Snyder has said a deputy spotted the vehicle in which Routh reportedly was traveling at about the 110-mile marker, which is the State Road 714 exit in Martin County.

Kimmel said they train on stopping vehicles in such scenarios so they are prepared to do so safely.

Such procedures are followed when investigators suspect a vehicle may not stop "or we just don't want them to flee and endanger the general public or anybody else so we kind of put ourselves in the way to prevent that from happening."

Kimmel said officials also were near the St. Lucie County line with special tire deflation devices ready.

Routh's vehicle was "boxed in" by investigators in unmarked vehicles. A deputy in a marked vehicle made the traffic stop.

"There's really nowhere for him to have gone if he tried to go anywhere," Kimmel said. "We kind of try and box it in, in the unmarked cars, and he pretty much has nowhere to go other than to pull over. If he doesn't ... it's not going to be so good for him in the vehicle."

Kimmel said he backed his truck into the front of Routh's vehicle. He made himself as small as he could and tried to get behind as much protection as possible.

"Knowing that he potentially has an AK-47, I know that those rounds can go through a lot of things, and I'm sure it wouldn't have much trouble going through my truck," Kimmel said. "I'm kind of just sitting there laying down on my seat just hoping that he doesn't try and shoot at us, and that I'm going to be safe."

According to a news release, a loaded SKS-style rifle was found in the area of the tree line by Trump International Golf Club where Routh fled. An SKS is chambered in 7.62 x 39 — the same caliber as most AK-47 style rifles.

Kimmel said the gravity of the stop hasn't set it with him.

"I'm glad that we were able to stop him and he couldn't cause any more harm to anyone else, because who knows if nobody caught him, what's he going to do next?" Kimmel said.