The local sheriff announced on Sunday that a man facing gun charges was detained at a security checkpoint close to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s California rally on Saturday, October 12. He was discovered to be in possession of numerous passports, loaded firearms, and a phoney license plate.
Although he recognised that this was “speculation,” Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco stated he thought his department had stopped an assassination attempt. According to jail records, the suspect was freed on Saturday after posting bond. A federal probe was announced on Sunday by a federal official.
At a press conference on Sunday afternoon, the sheriff stated, “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.” “I truly do believe that we prevented another assassination attempt.”
Vem Miller, a 49-year-old resident of Las Vegas, was apprehended by sheriff’s deputies on Saturday at approximately 5 p.m. local time in a black SUV and taken into custody without any problems, the sheriff’s office said. Trump was still off the stage.
According to jail records, Miller was charged with possession of a loaded pistol and a high-capacity magazine, both misdemeanours, and was freed on US$5,000 (S$6,528) bond on Saturday. On Sunday, it was not possible to contact him for comment at that time.
The sheriff’s office stated in a press release that “the incident did not impact the safety of former President Trump or attendees of the event.”
Citing the US Secret Service, the US Attorney’s Los Angeles office said in a statement posted on its website on Sunday that Trump was not in danger. The statement also stated that a probe was still underway even though no federal arrests had been made.
At a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July, Trump almost escaped an attempted murder when a gunman’s bullet touched his ear. When Secret Service agents found a man hiding with a rifle close to Trump’s Palm Beach golf property in September, the man was charged with attempting to assassinate the president. He made a not guilty plea. These attempts sparked concerns about the preparation and reaction of the Secret Service for security.
Trump’s rally on Saturday took place in the Coachella Valley, an area known for its annual music and arts festival.
