2024-10-14 10:00:03
A man carrying multiple firearms was arrested Saturday outside a rally for former President Donald Trump in California’s Coachella Valley, authorities said.
Vem Miller, 49, of Las Vegas, was taken into custody after deputies found him in possession of a shotgun, a loaded handgun, and a high-capacity magazine, according to a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department press release.
The arrest occurred at 4:59 p.m. at a checkpoint near Avenue 52 and Celebration Drive, about half a mile from the rally entrance. Miller was driving a black SUV when he was stopped.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a noted Trump supporter said, “We probably stopped another assassination attempt,” according to Southern California News Group.
Authorities reported that Miller was carrying fake press and VIP passes, suggesting a possible attempt to gain closer access to the event.
He was booked at the John J. Benoit Detention Center on charges of possessing a loaded firearm and a high-capacity magazine.
“This incident did not impact the safety of former President Trump or attendees of the event,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Miller was released Saturday on $5,000 bail and is scheduled to appear at the Indio Larson Justice Center on Jan. 2, 2025, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department inmate database.
Newsweek contacted the Riverside Sheriff’s Office and Trump’s campaign via email on Sunday for comment.
This incident follows two recent security breaches involving the former president.
In July, a shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania resulted in one death and two injuries. The gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed by the Secret Service after firing a shot that grazed Trump’s ear.
Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old volunteer fire chief, was killed while trying to protect his family. Two other Pennsylvania residents, 57-year-old David Dutch, and 74-year-old James Copenhaver, were wounded but reported to be in stable condition.
Trump later described feeling the bullet “ripping through the skin.”
In a separate incident barely two months later, a suspect identified as Ryan Routh was apprehended after being spotted with an assault rifle near Trump’s West Palm Beach Golf Club. Routh had allegedly hidden in bushes for approximately 12 hours, waiting for an opportunity to attack the former president who was golfing nearby.
The former president recently named limited manpower as a potential weakness in his security detail, after surviving two assassination attempts this summer.
During a September Fox News phone interview, Trump praised Secret Service agents who stopped the latest attempt by Routh but admitted when pressed by Sean Hannity of needing to expand his security team: “We have long requested more people—more men and women—but more people.”
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office is expected to hold a news conference Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.
Update 10/13/24, 5:42 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and context.
