By Joanna Putman
Police1
BUTLER, Pa. — Members of the local SWAT team assigned to protect former President Donald Trump on July 13 reported having no prior contact with the Secret Service agents responsible for security, ABC News reported.
In their first public comments since the incident, the SWAT team and their supervisors spoke to ABC News, describing their attempts to thwart the attack and the critical failures that occurred.
“We were supposed to get a face-to-face briefing with the Secret Service members whenever they arrived, and that never happened,” said Jason Woods of the Beaver County SWAT team. “We had no communication.”
The resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle followed the assassination attempt, and multiple investigations, including law enforcement, internal and congressional probes, have been launched to examine the communication and coordination issues.
The Secret Service, supplemented by local, county and state law enforcement, was ultimately responsible for security at the event. Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi stated that the agency is committed to understanding the events to prevent future occurrences and is cooperating with ongoing investigations.
Beaver County Chief Detective Patrick Young, who oversees the Emergency Services Unit and SWAT team, highlighted the importance of teamwork and collaboration in such high-stakes situations.
“I believe our team did everything humanly possible that day,” Young told ABC. “We talk a lot on SWAT that we as individuals mean nothing until we come together as a team.”
Woods emphasized the need for better coordination, revealing that the first communication with the Secret Service occurred only after the shooting, by which time it was too late, according to the report. The Beaver County SWAT team was in position hours before Trump’s scheduled appearance, and though they had identified and reported suspicious activity by gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks, he managed to evade detection and take a position on the roof of a building.
In text messages obtained by Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley from the Beaver County Emergency Unit, a local counter sniper first told colleagues that he saw someone park near their vehicles and sit on a nearby picnic table at 4:26 p.m., CNN reported.
“Kid learning around building we are in,” one text reads. “I did see him with a range finder looking towards stage. FYI. If you wanna notify SS [Secret Service] snipers to look out. I lost sight of him.”
It is unclear what time local law enforcement told the Secret Service directly about Crooks and sent the pictures one of their members took of the soon-to-be shooter before he accessed the roof, according to the report.
