A man armed with a gun, false reports and a VIP pass was arrested by authorities at President Donald Trump's campaign rally in California on Saturday.
The suspect, identified as Vem Miller, was apprehended by police at a checkpoint about a half-mile from the entrance to the rally in California's Coachella Valley shortly before it began, police said Sunday.
“We probably thwarted another assassination attempt,” Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said, adding that Miller was planning to kill President Trump.
Police said Miller was in possession of a loaded shotgun, a handgun and a high-capacity magazine, and is believed to be a member of a right-wing rebel group.
He holds a master's degree from UCLA and is running for the Nevada State Assembly in 2022. Bianco said Miller considers himself part of a so-called sovereign people, a group of people who believe they are not subject to any government law unless they consent to it.
Bianco said Miller's identification was enough to arouse suspicion among local rally security guards. “They were different enough to cause alarm among lawmakers,” he said, according to the newspaper. riverside press enterprise.
Miller was arrested on suspicion of possessing a loaded firearm and a high-capacity magazine and was released on $5,000 bail, according to police records.
“This incident did not impact the safety of former President Trump or those attending the event,” the sheriff's office said in a press release.
In July, Trump narrowly escaped death in an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a gunman's bullet grazed his ear. In September, another man was charged with attempting to assassinate Trump after Secret Service agents found him hiding with a rifle near Trump's Palm Beach golf course. He has since pleaded not guilty.
The Secret Service issued a statement saying it evaluated the arrest and said, “The incident did not impact protection efforts. The Secret Service would like to thank the members of Congress and our local partners who assisted in last night's protection efforts.” I express my intentions.”
Sheriff Bianco told the media that President Trump was shot by an assassin at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in July, and that a man with a rifle was hiding in the bushes near Trump's home. After his arrest, he said he did not expect a third attempt on his life against President Trump. Palm Beach Golf Course in September.
“I thought something like that wouldn't happen in Riverside County,” Bianco said. “We don't have the disease problems and violent protests like Los Angeles. We're better than that. Let's go.”
Bianco said U.S. Secret Service officials said the agency “went above and beyond” to protect Trump and others who attended the rally.
Bianco also said the FBI was questioning another man after a bomb-sniffing dog “repeatedly” identified him as dangerous. The man was not allowed to attend the rally, Bianco said.
According to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department inmate database, Miller is scheduled to appear at the Indio Larson Justice Center on January 2, 2025.
