Donald Trump was surrounded by security agents and hustled off a Reno, Nev., stage Saturday night while people in the crowd before him called out, "He's got a gun."
The Republican nominee disappeared behind the backdrop of the Nevada rally while law enforcement swarmed the area directly before the podium.
A man was led from the rally by a phalanx of armed agents.
The U.S. Secret Service said in a statement there was no weapon involved in the incident after a search of the person, as part of an ongoing investigation, according to the Associated Press.
Trump retook the stage a short while later and finished his address. He later boarded his plane en route to his final campaign stop in Colorado.
Shortly after the incident, the Trump campaign released the following statement:
I would like to thank the United States Secret Service and the law enforcement resources in Reno and the state of Nevada for their fast and professional response. I also want to thank the many thousands of people present for their unwavering and unbelievable support. Nothing will stop us — we will make America great again!
The episode was reminiscent of a disturbance earlier in the campaign. In a hangar outside Dayton, Ohio, in March, U.S. Secret Service agents rushed the stage and surrounded Trump in a protective ring after what the campaign described as an attempt "to breach the secure buffer." As with Saturday's disruption, the candidate continued his speech after a pause.
Security threats aren't new to his opponent either. In August, multiple Secret Service agents were able to quickly halt an animal rights protester from rushing the stage at a Hillary Clinton rally in Des Moines, Iowa.
That incident came one day after Trump's controversial comments about Clinton's position on Second Amendment rights. Trump suggested her Secret Service detail should "disarm" and "see what happens to her," which many critics perceived as veiled violent threats against Clinton, or as encouraging violence. Trump later said his words were misinterpreted by the "dishonest media."
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.