GREENSBORO, NC — As we continue to dig into alleged gunman, Ryan Routh, and his criminal history, a retired Greensboro, North Carolina, police officer is recounting her encounter back in 2002 with the man accused in the assassination attempt.
In our effort to uncover the truth, we sent WPTV investigative reporter Kate Hussey to Greensboro, where Routh lived for decades.
There, she uncovered a lengthy criminal history dating back decades, and retired police sergeant Tracy Fulk says she remembered him instantly after she saw his name in the headlines.
"I was like, 'Oh my goodness,'" Fulk said. "I remembered just because of the dangerous person and the standoff."
WATCH: Nurse who knew attempted assassination suspect reported his 'volatile' behavior in 2022
Tracy, now a teacher, Face-timed Hussey on her lunch break to walk us through exactly how Routh got three of the convictions now on his record back in December 2002.
"Yeah, it was December, I was on patrol, I happened to see Ryan Routh drive past me and I was like, 'Hey, he doesn’t have a driver's license,'" said Fulk.
Fulk said she ran his plates, which turned up a "dangerous person alert," so she pulled him over.
"I saw him reach toward the center of his vehicle, so I shined the light in to see what he was doing," said Fulk. "He opened the duffle bag and there was a gun in it. So, I pulled my gun, started issuing commands."
Local media reported at the time that the gun was a fully automatic machine gun.
Read Routh's prior conviction below:
Fulk said Routh then took off, barricading himself inside his roofing company where he stayed for hours before police took him into custody.
"I could see him walking back and forth inside his business, never pointed a gun at anybody, he was just in there," said Fulk.
"Was there anything about his behavior that stuck out to you?" Hussey asked.
"No, he really didn't say much at all during the traffic stop before he took off," replied Fulk. "And then when we got him under arrest and took him downtown, he was fine, he was polite to me."
Routh was convicted of three counts for that crime, including resisting arrest of a law enforcement officer, carrying a concealed weapon and driving with a revoked license.
He was also charged with possessing the automatic weapon but that charge was later dismissed.
Documents we obtained show Routh was charged with possessing a weapon of mass destruction just months earlier in April of 2002.
WATCH: Neighbors describe 'strange behavior' of assassination attempt suspect
Days after the barricading incident in December of 2002, he was convicted, and according to an indictment Hussey obtained, that weapon was an explosive device with a "detonation cord and a blasting cap."
"And I think that’s why we were getting the 'dangerous persons alert,'" said Fulk.
That was one of several run-ins Fulk said Greensboro police had with Routh while she was on the force even before her own encounter.
"Knowing though now that this man is suspected in an assassination attempt on the former president, were you surprised?" Hussey asked.
"After the initial shock of somebody I had dealt with, I think it kind of fit in with his personality and what we were dealing with in the early 2000s," replied Fulk.
Fulk also said since hearing Routh named as a suspect in an assassination attempt, she's grateful her own encounter with him didn't go differently.
WPTV's previous coverage on suspect in Trump assassination attempt:
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