Donald Trump was rushed from the stage by Secret Service agents Saturday at a rally in Nevada after a protester apparently tried to rush the stage and was quickly subdued by supporters and police.
The protester, who identified himself to The Guardian as Austyn Crites, 33, was wrestled to the floor of the Reno-Sparks Convention Center and later escorted out in handcuffs.
No weapon was found, the Secret Service later said, and Crites apparently was released.
Trump apparently was not injured and returned to the stage within five minutes to resume his speech.
"Nobody said it was going to be easy for us, but we will never be stopped," Trump told the cheering crowd. "Never, ever be stopped."
But Donald Trump's son and a top campaign aide were falsely spreading the rumor that an incident at a Nevada rally was an "assassination attempt" against the candidate even though no weapon was found.
Trump's son, Don Jr., and Dan Scavino, who runs Trump's social media operation, re-tweeted a message that read, "Hillary ran away from rain today. Trump is back on stage minutes after assassination attempt."
At Trump's next rally in Denver, a pastor, introduced as Father Andre Y-Sebastian Mahanna, also falsely called the Reno incident "an attempt of murder against Mr. Trump." Mahanna blamed the incident on the media for inciting hate against the Republican nominee.
The exact nature of the disruption was not immediately clear, though the Secret Service said that the commotion began after someone in the crowd shouted "gun."
"Immediately in front of the stage, an unidentified individual shouted 'gun,'" the agency said in a statement. "Secret Service agents and Reno police officers immediately apprehended the subject.
"Upon a thorough search of the subject and the surrounding area, no weapon was found," the statement said.
The Secret Service and Reno police were continuing their investigations.
Witnesses said a man apparently tried to rush the stage when he was subdued by Trump supporters and police.
"It was, like, he was running forward to get to the front," one man told the Guardian. "He was saying 'excuse me, excuse me' — working his way to the front."
"One woman told the Guardian that the man appeared to look "wild-eyed."
The man was led out of the hall by Secret Service agents and tactical officers from Reno police and taken to a bathroom near a secured entrance of the convention center, according to news reports.
Trump had just verbally slammed a protester about 7 p.m. local time just before he was taken from the stage.
"We have a supporter of the Hillary Clinton campaign," Trump said. The crowd booed.
"How much you being paid?" the nominee asked, alluding to undercover videos released last month by Project Veritas showing former Democratic operatives paying people to incite violence at Trump rallies. "Fifteen-hundred?
"All right," he then said. "Take him out."
Trump briefly resumed his speech before the disruption began.
The nominee, who placed his hand over his eyes to see what was going on, was then rushed off the stage by the two Secret Service agents.
"Go, go," the agents said.
The protester was subdued near the front of the stage by Reno police, other federal agents and private security.
The crowd booed and chanted "USA" as the man was led out of the hall.
Minutes later, Dan Scavino, the Trump campaign's social media director, came onstage as the supporters cheered.
"Nobody is going to stop this movement," he declared. "Nobody.
"Your next president of the United States will be back in a couple of minutes, so hang tight," he said. "We love you, Trump train — so let's go."
When Trump returned to the stage, he first thanked a group of supporters near the stage for stopping the protester.
"You were amazing, fellas," Trump said.
"I saw what you were doing," he said, pointing to a section of the crowd. "That's a tough group of people right there.
"Nobody messes with our people, right?"
Trump then praised the Secret Service for their quick response.
"These guys are fantastic," he said. "They don't get enough credit.
"They don't get enough credit. They're amazing people.
"So, let's get back to repealing the sequester," Trump said as he resumed his attack on Clinton.
In a statement later released by the Trump campaign, the nominee commended the Secret Service and local police for "their fast and professional response.
"I also want to thank the many thousands of people present for their unwavering and unbelievable support," the statement said. "Nothing will stop us."
Trump spoke later Saturday night in Denver.
In March, Secret Service agents removed Trump from a rally in Dayton, Ohio, after a man tried to rush the stage — saying he wanted to "bully the bully."
Three months later in Las Vegas, a 19-year-old Briton, Michael Sandford, was arrested after he tried to grab a police officer's gun and use it against Trump.
Sandford, an illegal immigrant who is now 20, pleaded guilty to charges in September and faces up to two years in prison and deportation from the United States, according to news reports.