Shots Fired As Absconder Breaches Trump's Resort Security

A woman attempting to flee from Florida police on Friday burst through two security checkpoints on a road leading to US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, officials said.

Secret Service officers fired shots as the black SUV breached the checkpoints, hitting the car several times but causing no injuries.

The driver did not stop and sped by the club’s driveway entrance, chased by the Florida Highway Patrol. Officers caught up with the car at a nearby motel, where the driver was arrested. Another woman in the car was not detained, and police said they believed she may have been picked up after the incident, CNN reported.

The president was not at the property at the time but is due to arrive later Friday, officials said.

Police said they doubted the woman knew that she was even driving towards the president’s residence.

She had fled earlier when a police officer approached her vehicle after she was reported to have been acting erratically on top of her car in Palm Beach, a wealthy beach town. By the time the police arrived, she had locked herself inside the car and refused to open the door or get out.

READ ALSO: Immigration: US Bans Nigeria

A police officer smashed a window and tried to grab the steering wheel, but she sped off, triggering a chase that also involved a police helicopter.

CNN quoted a person inside Mar-a-Lago as saying Secret Service agents had instructed guests and staff to remain inside at the time of the incident. The scene was described as calm and organized.

Trump and his wife Melania were due to leave Washington at 4 pm (2100 GMT) bound for the “Winter White House” — as the president dubs the resort where he spends many of his weekends. They were scheduled to arrive at around 7 pm.

AFP