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Monday, October 14, 2024
Man with shotgun and loaded handgun arrested near Trump rally in California on Saturday
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleA man arrested at a security checkpoint near Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s California rally on Saturday faces gun charges after he was found in possession of loaded firearms, multiple passports and a fake license plate, the local sheriff says on Sunday.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco says he believes his department halted an assassination attempt, though he acknowledges that was “speculation.” The suspect was released on bail on Saturday, jail records show.
A federal official says that a federal investigation is underway.
“What we do know is he showed up with multiple passports with different names, an unregistered vehicle with a fake license plate and loaded firearms,” the sheriff says at a news conference. “I truly do believe that we prevented another assassination attempt.”
The 49-year-old man, identified as Las Vegas resident Vem Miller, was stopped in a black SUV by sheriff’s deputies around 5 p.m. local time on Saturday and taken into custody without incident, according to the sheriff’s office. Trump had not yet taken the stage.
Jail records show Miller was released on $5,000 bail on Saturday after being charged with possession of a loaded firearm and a high-capacity magazine, both misdemeanors. He could not immediately be reached for comment.
“The incident did not impact the safety of former President Trump or attendees of the event,” the sheriff’s office says. in a press release.
The US Attorney’s Los Angeles office, in a statement on its website on Sunday, also says Trump was not in danger, citing the US Secret Service. The statement adds that while no federal arrest has been made, an investigation is ongoing.
Trump narrowly survived an assassination attempt in July, when a gunman’s bullet grazed his ear during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. In September, another man was charged with trying to assassinate Trump after Secret Service agents discovered him hiding with a rifle near Trump’s Palm Beach golf course. He pleaded not guilty. Those attempts raised questions about Secret Service security planning and response.
Trump’s rally on Saturday took place in the Coachella Valley, an area known for its annual music and arts festival.
The Times of Israel Community.