Man with ammo and a gun arrested at Trump golf course near LA ahead of US president’s visit

LOS ANGELES — A man carrying ammunition and with a gun in his car was arrested Sunday at US President Donald Trump’s Los Angeles-area golf course after appearing to monitor security preparations two days ahead of Trump’s fundraiser there, authorities reveal.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says Jeanine John Taele, 38, was taking photos and video and had a 16-round magazine with ammunition in his pocket. Authorities recovered a loaded pistol in his car. Law enforcement searched his home in the nearby city of Downey on Monday and found a plethora of firearms, magazines and ammunition, body armor and notebooks with “concerning statements.”

The sheriff’s department announces the arrest as Trump is preparing to arrive for the Republican National Committee dinner at the Trump National Golf Course in the suburb of Rancho Palos Verdes just south of Los Angeles. The department doesn’t elaborate on what the notebooks’ “concerning statements” are or whether the man was planning an attack on the president or event.

Taele is charged with several felonies including second-degree robbery, receiving a large-capacity magazine and possession of a short-barreled rifle or shotgun. He is also charged with carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle, a misdemeanor.

He pleaded not guilty to all the charges Monday and was ordered to stay away from the golf course and not possess weapons. His bail was set at $250,000.

It wasn’t clear if he has an attorney, and family members cannot immediately be reached for comment.

The sheriff’s department says when they made contact with Taele on Sunday, they had determined he was being investigated by the El Segundo Police Department for robbery.

The sheriff’s department says there is “no credible threat to our communities.”

A jury in 2025 found a man guilty of trying to assassinate Trump at the president’s Florida country club.