A man arrested at a security checkpoint near Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s rally in California on Saturday is now facing gun charges.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco revealed on Sunday that the man was found in possession of loaded firearms, multiple passports under different names, and a fake license plate, sparking concerns of a potential assassination attempt.
The suspect, identified as 49-year-old Las Vegas resident Vem Miller, was taken into custody after being stopped in a black SUV around 5 p.m. local time, just before Trump took the stage. According to the sheriff’s office, Miller was detained without incident. While the sheriff acknowledged that an assassination attempt was “speculation,” Bianco stated, “I truly do believe that we prevented another assassination attempt.”
Miller was charged with possession of a loaded firearm and a high-capacity magazine, both misdemeanours, and was released on $5,000 bail later that day. Efforts to reach him for comment were unsuccessful.
The US Attorney’s office in Los Angeles, in a statement on Sunday, confirmed that neither Trump nor the event’s attendees were in any immediate danger, citing information from the US Secret Service. Although no federal arrest has been made, a federal investigation is ongoing.
This incident follows a string of previous threats against Trump. In July, he narrowly survived an assassination attempt when a bullet grazed his ear during a rally in Pennsylvania. Another man was charged in September after being found hiding with a rifle near Trump’s Palm Beach golf course.
Trump’s rally in California’s Coachella Valley, a region famous for its annual music festival, proceeded without disruption.
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