The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office on California reported an armed man with fake VIP and press passes for President Trump’s rally in Coachella rally was arrested at a security checkpoint near the rally sight around 5 p.m. PDT. Also, a man was reportedly barred from entering the rally after bomb detection police dogs alerted on him.
President Trump delivers remarks at a rally in Coachella, California, October 12, 2024, screen image.
On Saturday, October 12, 2024, at 4:59 p.m., deputies assigned to former President Donald Trump’s rally in the Coachella Valley contacted the driver of a black SUV at a checkpoint at the intersection of Avenue 52 and Celebration Drive. The male driver, identified as Vem Miller, a 49-year-old resident of Las Vegas, was found to be illegally in possession of a shotgun, a loaded handgun, and a high-capacity magazine. Miller was taken into custody without incident and later booked at the John J. Benoit Detention Center for possession of a loaded firearm and possession of a high-capacity magazine. This incident did not impact the safety of former President Trump or attendees of the event.
Anyone with information on this case is encouraged to call Deputy Coronado at the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station by calling (760) 836–1600.
The Long Beach Press Telegram reported Sunday that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said he believed a third assassination attempt against Trump was stopped. (excerpt):
Bianco told the Southern California News Group on Sunday that he believes Miller — who he said is a member of a right–leaning anti-government group — planned to kill Trump and that deputies thwarted the plan when Miller presented fake VIP and press passes at a checkpoint.
“They were different enough to cause the deputies alarm,” Bianco said. “We probably stopped another assassination attempt.”
Miller is a registered Republican who holds a master’s degree from UCLA, and who ran for state assembly in Nevada in 2022.
Bianco said Miller considers himself a so-called sovereign citizen, a group of people who do not believe they are subject to any government statutes unless they consent to them.
…Bianco also said the FBI is questioning another man after bomb-detecting dogs “repeatedly” identified him as possibly dangerous. That man was not allowed in the rally, Bianco said.
The Press Telegram also reported that Miller was released on $5,000 bail with a court date on January 2, 2025 and that the Secret Service said they are aware of the arrest.
UPDATE via Daily Mail:
Donald Trump seems to have faced yet another threat to his life when a man presenting fake VIP credentials was taken into custody after a shotgun, high capacity magazine and loaded handgun was found in his vehicle at a rally over the weekend.
Local law enforcement claims the incident is ‘probably’ a third assassination attempt.
But a source close to the Trump campaign says the Riverside County Sheriff is mistaken.
‘There was no assassination attempt in CA yesterday,’ the source told DailyMail.com. ‘A man at a perimeter checkpoint had a gun but there was no incident.’
Vem Miller, 49, was taken into custody after he was stopped at a checkpoint near the former president’s rally in Coachella, California on Saturday.
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