‘Shots fired’ by police responding to incident at Mar-a-Lago Trump Florida resort

Police in West Palm Beach, Florida are responding in force to an incident outside President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, where a vehicle with two suspects attempted to crash through Secret Service security checkpoints.

A “black SUV” tried to force its way through a security checkpoint north of the resort shortly before noon on Friday, WSVT-TV reported citing law enforcement sources. Police and US Secret Service agents opened fire on the vehicle, but it was able to drive away.

Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Teri Barbera confirmed the reports, adding that the vehicle breached two checkpoints outside the main entrance.

Photos from local media show a heavy police response outside the resort, as well as the bridge leading from West Palm Beach to Mar-a-Lago. 

Two suspects were arrested after a short chase involving a police helicopter and Florida Highway Patrol cars, WPTV reported.

Trump has owned Mar-a-Lago since 1985, and usually spends his weekends at the private resort, which he calls the “Southern White House.” He was due to arrive there later on Friday.

Tourists and visitors hoping to get a glimpse of Trump have caused a number of security incidents at the club over the past two years. Two female Chinese tourists have been caught trespassing in 2019, while an Iranian national reportedly armed with knives was arrested on the bridge outside the resort on January 10, amid tensions with Tehran over the assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.

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