Man arrested near Trump rally in Coachella with loaded firearm, high-capacity magazine: Officials
COACHELLA, Calif. (CNS) -- A 49-year-old Las Vegas man was arrested near former President Donald Trump's rally in the Coachella Valley on Saturday, allegedly with a loaded firearm and a high-capacity magazine, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said Sunday that he believes his deputies might have stopped another assassination attempt against the former president.
Deputies assigned to the rally contacted the driver of a black SUV at a checkpoint near the intersection of Avenue 52 and Celebration Drive just before 5 p.m. Saturday, sheriff's officials said.
They allegedly found the driver in possession of a shotgun, a loaded handgun and a high-capacity magazine. The driver was identified as Vem Miller, and was taken into custody and later booked at the John J. Benoit Detention Center on suspicion of possessing a loaded firearm and possessing a high- capacity magazine.
Miller was released Saturday on $5,000 bail, and was scheduled to appear at the Indio Larson Justice Center on Jan. 2, according to the department's inmate database.
Bianco told Southern California News Group on Sunday that he believes Miller, who he identified as a member of a right-leaning anti-government group, planned to kill Trump, and that deputies arrested him after Miller presented fake VIP and press passes at the checkpoint.
"They were different enough to cause the deputies alarm,'' Bianco said. "We probably stopped another assassination attempt."
SCNG described Miller as a registered Republican who holds a master's degree from UCLA and ran for state Assembly in Nevada in 2022. Bianco told SCNG that Miller is a so-called sovereign citizen, an anti-government activist who does not believe he is subject to any government statutes.
Miller, however, denied those allegations in comments to SCNG, insisting that he supports Trump and only had the guns for protection.
"I'm an artist, I'm the last person that would cause any violence and harm to anybody," Miller told the newspaper group.
According to Miller, he was invited to the Coachella Valley rally by the head of Clark County's Republican Party. Miller is a caucus captain for Trump in Nevada, according to the report.
According to the sheriff's department, the incident did not impact the safety of former President Trump or attendees of the event. Anyone with additional information about the suspect was encouraged to contact Deputy Coronado at 760-836-1600.
Bianco also said the FBI was questioning another man after bomb-detecting dogs identified him as possibly dangerous and denied him access to the rally.
Trump had not commented on the arrest as of Sunday.
"A beautiful evening in Coachella, California last night. Thank you!" the former president posted on X, along with a video of the crowd at the rally.
Trump was shot in the ear at a rally in Butler, Penn., on July 13 by a man who was subsequently shot dead by authorities. On Sept. 22, a man was arrested after the Secret Service allegedly saw him pointing a rifle from shrubbery on the West Palm Beach, Fla., golf course where Trump was playing.
