Local authorities identified a man who was arrested with a loaded gun at a rally hosted by former President Donald Trump in Southern California on Saturday as Vem Miller.
Miller, a 49-year-old Las Vegas resident was driving a black SUV at a checkpoint outside Trump’s rally in Coachella when Riverside County sheriff deputies found him to be in illegal possession of a shotgun, loaded handgun and a high-capacity magazine, according to the sheriff’s office.
Authorities say the suspect was taken into custody without incident and booked at a detention center in nearby Indio. Miller’s arrest took place around 5 p.m. local time when Trump’s rally was scheduled to begin.
Miller has since been released from the detention center on a $5,000 bail, local outlets reported. The Telegram reported that he is due to appear in court in January.
The sheriff’s office said the incident “did not impact the safety” of Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, or the rallygoers. Newsweek reached out to Trump’s campaign via email for comment on Sunday.
Chad Bianco, the Riverside County Sheriff and known supporter of Trump, told the Southern California News Group on Sunday that authorities had “probably stopped another assassination attempt.”
Trump has fallen victim to two assassination attempts in the past few months. Ryan Routh was arrested on September 15 after being found with a firearm at Trump International Golf Club where the former president was playing golf. Routh never fired the gun at Trump, but Secret Service agents fired at him as he pointed his rifle toward the West Palm Beach golf course in Florida.
On July 13, Trump was struck by a bullet that pierced his right ear at an outdoor campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, by 20-year-old shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, who fired rounds off a nearby roof. Crooks was then killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper.
Bianco said Miller showed fake VIP and press passes at the checkpoint, which alerted authorities. “They were different enough to cause the deputies alarm,” Bianco said.
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