Alleged would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh faces state charge in connection with his arrest

(WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.) — Ryan Routh, the man accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump at the president-elect’s golf club in Florida, is now facing a state attempted murder charge in connection with a car accident that occurred following his arrest, officials announced Wednesday.

The Florida Attorney General’s Office said it has obtained an arrest warrant against Routh, who was apprehended on Interstate 95 in Martin County on Sept. 15 after he allegedly fled the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, authorities said.

Following his arrest, an accident occurred that seriously injured a 6-year-old girl who was traveling with her family, according to Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.

“As a result of that, we felt compelled to seek justice on her behalf and her family that will never be the same as they cope with her injuries,” Moody said at a press briefing on Wednesday.

The multi-vehicle accident occurred on I-95 approximately three or four miles south of where Routh’s traffic stop occurred, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.

A Martin County deputy located the suspect’s vehicle at approximately 2:09 p.m. It was unclear if any vehicles or explosives were in the vehicle, and northbound traffic was stopped due to the “high-risk potential” of the traffic stop, according to the affidavit. Routh was taken into custody at approximately 2:23 p.m., according to the affidavit.

Southbound traffic was also stopped while authorities worked to clear Routh’s vehicle, and traffic began to back up in both directions for miles, according to the affidavit.

The accident occurred at approximately 3 p.m., according to the affidavit. The child, whose name has not been released, suffered critical injuries after a vehicle rear-ended the one she and her family were traveling in, according to the affidavit.

“When you couple those terrible injuries together with [Routh’s] other criminal conduct, which we believe rises to the level of domestic terrorism, it turns his actions into an attempted felony murder case,” Moody said.

Moody said her office has filed a complaint and arrest warrant against Routh on Wednesday. The charge carries a sentence of up to life in prison if convicted.

Moody said her office had reached out to the federal government regarding pursuing the attempted murder charge against Routh.

“They responded that we should not bring charges,” she said. “The excuse and the reasoning kept coming back to the need to protect the case and national security.”

Moody filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice in October claiming the agency was unlawfully attempting to block Florida’s criminal investigation into the alleged assassination attempt against Trump.

ABC News has reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, which is prosecuting the federal case against Routh, for comment.

Routh faces multiple federal charges in connection with the alleged attempted assassination.

On the day in question, Trump was playing golf on the course when a Secret Service agent spotted a gun barrel poking out from the tree line near the sixth green, according to investigators.

The agent then fired in the direction of the rifle and saw Routh fleeing the area and entering his nearby vehicle, according to the federal criminal complaint.

In the area of the tree line where the suspect was seen, agents found a digital camera, two bags, including a backpack, and a loaded SKS-style 7.62×39 caliber rifle with a scope, according to the complaint.

Trump was not harmed in the incident and was taken to a safe location by Secret Service agents.

Routh pleaded not guilty to federal charges including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate and assaulting a federal officer, as well as several firearms charges.

He is currently in federal custody.