A man was arrested outside of former President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Coachella, California, Saturday, after deputies assigned to a routine security checkpoint found him traveling with a loaded shotgun, handgun, ammunition and several fake passports, Riverside County sheriff’s officials said.
The Secret Service said in a statement Sunday that the incident did not impact protective operations and that Trump was not in any danger.
Upon his arrest by local police, the man made no threats aimed at Trump and federal investigators have found no threatening material targeting Trump, sources told ABC News.
There are indications on social media that he supports Trump and was at the RNC, according to sources.
The individual, whom authorities have since identified as Vem Miller, a 49-year-old resident of Las Vegas, claimed to be a member of the press to pass through the event’s outer security perimeter.
The security checkpoint at which he was apprehended was located on the inner perimeter, controlled by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, and could only be accessed by residents and those with official documentation, according to Sheriff Chad Bianco.
While attempting to validate the man’s clearance, officials found his vehicle — an unregistered SUV with “homemade” license plates, according to Bianco — to be in a state of disarray.
A subsequent search revealed the weapons and passports, in addition to driver’s licenses in various pseudonyms, Bianco said. There were also indications that the man affiliates with the antigovernment Sovereign Citizen movement, according to the sheriff, who called it a “fringe group.”
Trump was not yet at the rally when the incident took place, officials said.
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the spin room after an ABC News presidential debate with Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, Sept. 10, 2024, in Philadelphia.
Matt Slocum/AP
The man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a loaded firearm and possession of a high-capacity magazine, according to a statement released by the department on Sunday. He was taken into custody, booked into jail and then released on $5,000 bail, pending a future court date, according to court records.
“In light of previous incidents on Trump’s life, we had a very detailed plan in place for Trump’s safety as well as attendees,” Bianco said in a statement on Sunday night, alluding to an attempted assassination last month at Trump’s Palm Beach golf course in Florida, as well as a shooting in July at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is working with the FBI and Secret Service. Beyond the firearms and ammunition charges, any further charges would come from the federal government, according to the sheriff’s statement on Sunday.
In a joint statement on X, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Secret Service, and FBI said that they “extend their gratitude to the deputies and local partners who helped ensure the safety of last night’s events.”
ABC News’ Luke Barr, Pierre Thomas and Marilyn Heck contributed to this report.
Source: abc news
