Police arrest ‘potential Trump assassin’ at Coachella rally

Police have stopped a suspected third assassination attempt against Donald Trump, arresting a man with two guns and a high-capacity magazine.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said a man was arrested Saturday outside a Trump rally in Coachella, California, for being “illegally in possession of a shotgun, a loaded handgun and a high-capacity magazine.”

Police identified the suspect as Vem Miller, a 49-year-old Las Vegas resident. He was driving a black SUV and was arrested at a checkpoint near the event. He carried a shotgun, a pistol and a 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 large capacity magazine,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

“This incident had no impact on the safety of former President Trump or those attending the event.”

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said, “We probably stopped another assassination attempt.”

Mr. Bianco told the Southern California News Group that Mr. Miller was a member of a right-wing anti-government group and presented fake VIP and press credentials at a police checkpoint before the rally.

“They were different enough to alert deputies,” he said.

Registered Republican

According to local news outlet Press-Enterprise, Mr. Miller is a registered Republican who holds a master’s degree from UCLA and ran for the Nevada state assembly in 2022.

Mr. Bianco said Mr. Miller considers himself a “sovereign citizen,” a term that refers to voters who do not believe they are subject to a law unless they have consented to it.

“I thought this wouldn’t happen in Riverside County,” he said. “We don’t have the same crazy problems and violent protests that we have in Los Angeles. We’re better than this. Imagine that.”

“I am extremely proud of the mental and physical performance our deputies demonstrated throughout the day,” he added.

The alleged assassination attempt follows attacks on Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania in July and at his golf course in Miami last month.

At the rally, US intelligence failed to stop 20-year-old Matthew Crooks from opening fire on Trump from a nearby roof. A bullet grazed Trump’s ear and Crooks was killed by a sniper.

The second attempt on September 15 was foiled by Trump’s security team, who spotted the tip of a rifle aimed through the bushes as the former president golfed nearby. Police later arrested 58-year-old Ryan Routh, who was charged with five federal crimes. He denies the allegations.