(AFP) – A man found illegally in possession of a shotgun and a loaded handgun was arrested by sheriff’s deputies assigned to protect a Donald Trump rally in Coachella, California, the Riverside County sheriff’s office announced Sunday. The Secret Service said that it was aware of the arrest and that neither Trump nor rally attendees had been in any danger during the incident, which took place on Saturday.
“While no federal arrest has been made at this time, the investigation is ongoing,” the organization tasked with protecting presidents and presidential candidates said in a joint statement with the FBI and the US Attorney’s office. The sheriff’s team identified the man as 49-year-old Vem Miller of Las Vegas. He was later released on bail and faces a court hearing on January 2.
They added that the deputies, manning a checkpoint near the rally, arrested Miller as he drove up in a black SUV. They later booked him at a local detention center on charges of possessing a loaded firearm and a high-capacity magazine.
The incident comes on the heels of two assassination attempts—one in Pennsylvania in which a bullet grazed Trump’s ear, and a second, aborted attempt at his Florida golf course. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco—a Trump supporter who also addressed the Republican’s rally in Coachella on Saturday—said that there was “absolutely no way that any of us are going to truly know what was in his head.”
“If you’re asking me right now, I probably did have deputies that prevented the third assassination attempt,” Bianco, a former member of the far-right Oath Keepers group, told a press conference. Bianco mentioned that the man had “multiple” passports and IDs with different names in his vehicle, which was unregistered. He stated that any further charges would come from federal authorities.
There was no immediate comment from the Trump campaign. Trump’s decision to hold a rally in California surprised political analysts, who note that the state is heavily Democratic, but he drew a large crowd, even in temperatures near 100 Fahrenheit (38 Celsius). Coachella is known for its annual music festival.
© 2024 AFP
