DORAL, Fla. (AP/WPTV) — A man shouting about Donald Trump entered the president's Doral Golf Club early Friday, draped a flag over a lobby counter and exchanged fire with police before being arrested, police said.
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At an early-morning news conference, Doral police chief Hernan Organvidez said they received a call of an active shooter in the lobby at the golf club around 1:30 a.m.
Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez identified the suspect as 42-year-old Jonathan Oddi of Doral.
Police were preparing a search warrant to enter Oddi's house, Perez said. His neighbors were evacuated Friday morning as officers swept the area looking for booby traps, Perez said.
"We don't know what his intentions were in the long term but we know what he was doing at the time — he was trying to engage our police officers in some kind of ambush-type attack," Perez said.
In plotting the ambush, Perez added, "He did succeed and he did lose."
Video footage showed the conscious suspect being wheeled into a hospital on a gurney.
Perez said the man took down a flag from the rear of the complex and draped it over a lobby counter.
Oddi' fired shots into the ceiling and waited for officers to arrive, he said.
"He was yelling and spewing some information about President Trump and that's what we know so far. And he had an American flag that he did drape over the counter," Perez said.
Five officers, four from Doral's police department and one from the Miami-Dade Police Department, responded and confronted the shooter, exchanging gunfire. "The subject was neutralized" and transported to Kendall Regional Medical Center," said Organvidez.
Oddi is hospitalized in stable condition.
One officer was hurt, suffering a broken arm, but it was not from a gunshot. Police said the officer is in good condition at a local hospital.
Police said the incident occurred in "less than a couple minutes."
"I want to recognize the efforts of the Doral Police Department and Miami-Dade police officers. What they did today was nothing short of heroic," said Perez.
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Investigators said terrorism has not been ruled out but not confirmed either.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the police shooting. The Miami-Dade Police Department along with the with Secret Service and FBI are investigating the the shooter's motive.
"You know, these officers did not hesitate one second to engage this individual that was actively shooting in the lobby of the hotel," Perez said. "They risked their lives knowing that that they had to get in there to save lives in that hotel."
Eric Trump, the president's son and executive vice president of the Trump organization, tweeted early Friday, "A huge thank you to the incredible men and women" of the departments, adding that "every day they keep our community safe."
A huge thank you to the incredible men and women of the @DoralPolice Department and @MiamiDadePD. Every day they keep our community safe. We are very grateful to you! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
— Eric Trump (@EricTrump) May 18, 2018
The golf resort, previously known as the Doral Resort & Spa, was purchased by the Trump Organization in 2012. Its signature course is the Blue Monster at Doral.
The Trump National Doral, which includes several buildings for lodging and an expansive clubhouse, is among the largest hotels in the Miami suburb. It's about 8 miles (13 kilometers) from Miami International Airport.
Its website describes it as an 800-acre resort with 643 total guest rooms, more than 100,000 square feet (9,300 square meters) of event space and four golf courses.
Portions of this article courtesy of the Associated Press
