PALM BEACH, Fla. — What began with a Florida woman allegedly walking into a closed security checkpoint near Mar-a-Lago and saying she was there for a “car wash” ended with a police pursuit, felony charges and the fatal shooting of her dog, according to authorities.
Alexa Rae Scharf, 29, of Loxahatchee, was arrested after the Aug. 25 encounter near President Donald Trump’s Palm Beach estate, according to a WPTV report based on a probable cause affidavit.
Police say the encounter began at about 6 p.m. when Scharf drove a Hyundai SUV into a closed security checkpoint near Mar-a-Lago. No vehicles were authorized to enter the area at the time.
According to the affidavit, Scharf parked near vehicle-screening tents, got out of the SUV and walked over to a hose.
When a Secret Service agent approached and asked who she was, Scharf allegedly responded:
“I’m here for the car wash.”
What happened next turned the unusual encounter into a much more serious police response.
Police say woman drove toward Secret Service agent
According to the police account reported by WPTV, Scharf was told she was not authorized to be in the checkpoint area.
Police allege she became “verbally combative,” returned to her SUV and ignored commands to stop. Investigators say she then turned the vehicle toward the Secret Service agent, forcing him to move out of its path.
The agent later located the SUV near another oceanfront property about a half-mile away, according to a separate account from Cox Media Group.
Authorities say Scharf had gotten out of the vehicle and was walking around the property before returning to the SUV as Palm Beach police and other law-enforcement officers arrived.
Police allege she again refused commands to stop.
According to the probable cause account, Scharf then drove in the direction of a Palm Beach Police Department captain, forcing the officer to move out of the way. Police pursued the SUV south on South Ocean Boulevard with emergency lights and sirens activated.
Officers eventually stopped the vehicle after Scharf allegedly failed to stop at multiple police roadblocks.
Police then broke windows on the SUV as they attempted to take her into custody, according to the report.
Dog fatally shot during arrest
The confrontation did not end when officers reached the SUV.
Palm Beach police told CBS12, as reported by Cox Media Group, that a pit bull inside Scharf’s vehicle jumped over her as officers opened the door and bit an officer.
Police said another officer fired twice at the dog.
Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control personnel and a veterinarian attempted to treat the animal, but the dog died, according to the police account.
The condition of the officer who police say was bitten was not immediately disclosed in the initial reports.
Palm Beach police said an initial investigation at the scene found no policy violations in connection with the shooting of the dog. The officer who fired the shots was not placed on administrative leave, according to the reported police statement.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Scharf faces felony charges
Scharf was booked into the Palm Beach County jail following the encounter.
Booking information and local reporting show she faces charges including aggravated assault, fleeing or eluding police and resisting an officer without violence. A Cox Media Group report said she was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a vehicle, along with felony fleeing and resisting without violence.
A Palm Beach County booking-record search also lists Scharf among those booked Aug. 26 following the incident.
She was being held on $16,000 bond as of Thursday, according to WPTV.
The charges are allegations, and Scharf has not been convicted.
Investigation continues after bizarre Mar-a-Lago encounter
The Secret Service declined to comment on the incident when contacted by CBS12, according to the Cox Media Group account.
The case now leaves investigators sorting through an encounter that began with an unusual explanation at one of Florida’s most heavily watched security zones and quickly escalated into allegations that a vehicle was driven toward multiple law-enforcement officers.
For Palm Beach police, another question centers on the final moments of the arrest and the fatal shooting of Scharf’s dog.
Police have said their initial review found no policy violation, but authorities said the investigation is still ongoing.
