A person was arrested exterior of former President Donald Trump’s marketing campaign rally in Coachella, California, late Saturday, after deputies assigned to a routine safety checkpoint discovered him touring with a loaded shotgun, handgun, ammunition and several other faux passports, Riverside County sheriff’s officers mentioned.
The Secret Service mentioned in an announcement Sunday that the incident didn’t affect protecting operations and that Trump was not in any hazard.
The person, whom authorities have since recognized as Vem Miller, a 49-year-old resident of Las Vegas, claimed to be a member of the press to move by way of the occasion’s outer safety perimeter.
The safety checkpoint at which he was apprehended was positioned on the interior perimeter, managed by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Division, and will solely be accessed by residents and people with official documentation, in response to Sheriff Chad Bianco.
Whereas trying to validate the person’s clearance, officers discovered his car — an unregistered SUV with “do-it-yourself” license plates, in response to Bianco — to be in a state of disarray.
A subsequent search revealed the weapons and passports, along with driver’s licenses in varied pseudonyms, Bianco mentioned. There have been additionally indications that the person associates with the antigovernment Sovereign Citizen motion, in response to the sheriff, who known as it a “fringe group.”
Trump was not but on the rally when the incident passed off, officers mentioned.
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks to reporters within the spin room after an ABC Information presidential debate with Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, Sept. 10, 2024, in Philadelphia.
Matt Slocum/AP
The person was arrested on suspicion of possessing a loaded firearm and possession of a high-capacity journal, in response to an announcement launched by the division on Sunday. He was taken into custody, booked into jail after which launched on $5,000 bail, pending a future court docket date, in response to court docket information.
Upon his arrest by native police, the person made no threats aimed toward Trump and federal investigators have discovered no threatening materials focusing on Trump, sources instructed ABC Information.
There are indications on social media that he helps Trump and was on the RNC, in response to sources.
“In mild of earlier incidents on Trump’s life, we had a really detailed plan in place for Trump’s security in addition to attendees,” Bianco mentioned in an announcement on Sunday evening, alluding to an tried assassination final month at Trump’s Palm Seashore golf course in Florida, in addition to a taking pictures in July at a marketing campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Division is working with the FBI and Secret Service. Past the firearms and ammunition costs, any additional costs would come from the federal authorities, in response to the sheriff’s assertion on Sunday.
In a joint assertion on X, the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace, U.S. Secret Service, and FBI mentioned that they “lengthen their gratitude to the deputies and native companions who helped guarantee the security of final evening’s occasions.”
ABC Information’ Luke Barr, Pierre Thomas and Marilyn Heck contributed to this report.
