A strange security scare unfolded near President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach when a Florida woman allegedly crashed through a gate and claimed she believed the area was a “car wash,” setting off a police pursuit that later ended with her pit bull fatally shot after biting an officer, authorities said.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by CBS 12, 29-year-old Alexa Rae Scharf drove up to a closed Secret Service checkpoint near the expansive Palm Beach property on Tuesday evening, pulled her vehicle beside a screening tent, stepped out and began using a hose.
When a Secret Service agent questioned her about who she was and why she was there, Scharf allegedly gave an unusual explanation: “I’m here for the car wash,” the affidavit said.
As the agent tried to photograph her license plate, Scharf allegedly got back behind the wheel, ignored several orders to stop and drove toward the agent, forcing him to move out of her path, according to the document.
A short time later, officers located the same SUV roughly half a mile away on an oceanfront property, where investigators said a large entrance gate had been broken through.
The affidavit said Scharf was initially seen walking around the estate before returning to the vehicle.
She then allegedly backed the SUV toward a Palm Beach police captain and another officer, maneuvered between police cruisers and drove off, prompting officers to pursue her.
The chase eventually came to an end in a driveway, but officials said Scharf still refused to comply with officers’ commands, according to the affidavit.
Police placed stop sticks beneath her tires and smashed the rear windshield and rear driver-side window, according to the charging documents.
As police were arresting Scharf, her pit bull jumped over her and bit an officer when they opened a door, Palm Beach police told CBS 12.
One cop opened fire and shot the dog. The dog was taken to an animal hospital but later died, police said.
The officer’s condition was not immediately clear.
The incident shut down the area for about three hours, according to CBS 12.
Scharf, of Loxahatchee, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault, felony fleeing and resisting arrest.
She was released early Friday morning on a $16,000 bond, jail records show.
