No weapon was involved in a commotion that briefly disrupted Donald Trump’s Saturday night rally and caused agents to hustle him from the stage, the Secret Service said.
The Republican presidential nominee had been speaking to supporters in Reno, Nev., for a while when a disturbance broke out in the crowd close to the podium. Two Secret Service agents quickly surrounded Trump and then ushered him away.
In a statement, the Secret Service said a person in front of the stage had shouted “Gun!” but that no weapon was found after a search of the person and the immediate area. The person was apprehended, but officials did not identify the person or disclose whether the person had been charged with a crime.
The Secret Service said an investigation into the incident was ongoing.
Upon his return to the stage a few minutes later, Trump thanked the Secret Service and told the crowd, “Nobody said it was going to be easy for us. But we will never be stopped. Never ever be stopped.”
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The Secret Service statement noted that magnetometers are used at presidential campaign sites.
“All general public attending these events must go through a magnetometer screening prior to entering a protected area,” the agency said.
Trump’s son and a top campaign aide were falsely spreading the rumor that an incident at a Nevada rally was an “assassination attempt” against the candidate even though no weapon was found.
Donald Trump Jr. and Dan Scavino, who runs Trump’s social media operation, retweeted a message that read, “Hillary ran away from rain today. Trump is back on stage minutes after assassination attempt.”
JUST NOW: Donald Trump was just rushed off stage during his Nevada campaign rally: https://t.co/7fTJ3N3MQN pic.twitter.com/Hm7CRdFDTU
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 6, 2016
At Trump’s next rally in Denver, a pastor, introduced as Father Andre Y-Sebastian Mahanna, also falsely called the Reno incident “an attempt of murder against Mr. Trump.” Mahanna blamed the incident on the media for inciting hate against the Republican nominee.
Trump later put out a statement, where he thanked “the United States Secret Service and the law enforcement resources in Reno and the state of Nevada for their fast and professional response.”
He also went on to thank “the many thousands of people present for their unwavering and unbelievable support.”
Moments after the incident came under control, Donald Trump Jr. tweeted a message to the Secret Service, thanking the agents for “protecting my father.”
Thank you to the Secrete Service for their never ending vigilance protecting my father. As I’m sure you know our whole family is grateful!
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) November 6, 2016
