MIAMI _ Gunfire erupted near the main entrance of Mar-a-Lago after a black SUV breached two of its security checkpoints midday Friday.
The SUV was being chased by the Florida Highway Patrol as it approached President Donald Trump's private club and home in Palm Beach around 11:40 a.m. EST, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said.
After it breached the checkpoints heading toward the club, law enforcement officers opened fire. The SUV fled and was pursued by the Highway Patrol and sheriff's helicopters before being stopped, according to the sheriff's office.
Two people were taken into custody, the sheriff's office said.
"Officials ... discharged their firearms at the vehicle," the department said in a statement.
It was unclear if anyone was injured, why the vehicle was being chased, whether it intended to run the checkpoints and which agencies opened fire.
Trump was not there during the incident but is expected to arrive at Mar-a-Lago on Friday evening.
Private contractors normally handle security at the club, but the Secret Service take over when the president is in town and tightens procedures, including sweeping the property for bombs and setting up exterior checkpoints to screen visitors. Local law enforcement agencies assist the Secret Service and provide personnel for security.
There was a heavy police response outside the resort Friday afternoon and roads in the area were shut down. Authorities planned to hold a news conference later Friday afternoon in West Palm Beach.
"I don't know what's going on but there was a lot of gunfire out here," one Instagram user said in a video that appeared to have been taken outside Mar-a-Lago. "(They're) shutting it down."
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting, PBSO said.
The Palm Beach Police Department, the Trump Organization and the Secret Service did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The phone at the club's desk was not accepting calls early Friday afternoon.
The White House said the incident would not disrupt the president's travel plans.
Real estate developer Jeff Greene was working from his home located next door to Mar-a-Lago on Friday when he received a phone call from a neighbor. The woman, whom Greene declined to name, told him she had been driving back to Palm Beach when she saw police in pursuit of a vehicle. She told Greene that he and his wife should go inside and lock their doors because shots had been fired.
"I don't understand why you have gunshots," Greene told the Miami Herald. "The president is not even around."
A guest inside the club told CNN it could be hours before patrons and staff are allowed to leave.
Mar-a-Lago is a historic mansion operated as a private club by the Trump Organization. The president has also declared it his primary residence.
Security breaches have become a common occurrence at the club since Trump became president.
Currently, Chinese national Yujing Zhang is in federal custody awaiting deportation after being convicted of trespassing at the club and lying to a federal agent. Zhang claimed she was there for a party. Another Chinese woman, Lu Jing, is awaiting a state trial on two misdemeanor counts after allegedly taking photographs on the property despite security telling her to leave
The latest incident happened as the president is dealing with an impeachment trial in the Senate.
