Authorities arrested a Las Vegas resident Saturday at a checkpoint for former President Donald Trump’s rally in Coachella, California for allegedly possessing multiple illegal firearms, according to a press release.
Since the first assassination attempt against Trump on July 13 and the arrest of a second potential assassin on Sept. 15, the former president’s safety has been a top concern for lawmakers and the campaign. Riverside County Sheriff issued a statement announcing the arrest of 49-year-old Vem Miller who was found to be “illegally in possession of a shotgun, a loaded handgun, and a high-capacity magazine.”
Officials said Miller was arrested at 4:59 p.m. by deputies assigned to the rally at a checkpoint at Avenue 52 and Celebration Drive. Miller, driving a black SUV, was booked for “a loaded firearm” and “a high-capacity magazine,” according to the press release.
“This incident did not impact the safety of former President Trump or attendees of the event,” officials added.
Miller was confirmed to be released on $5,000 bail the same day and is scheduled to appear in court on January 2, 2025, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department inmate database.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco held a press conference Sunday afternoon, stating Miller first approached the outer perimeter and gave “all indications that he belonged there, that he was a participant who was allowed to enter into VIP in the press corps.” However, as Miller progressed, officials discovered the 49-year-old was driving an unregistered vehicle with a homemade license plate “indicative of a group of citizens that claim to be sovereign citizens,” along with multiple passports and driver’s licenses
“The interior of the vehicle was in disarray. The vehicle had an obviously fake license plate, which prompted further investigation,” Bianco said. “During that investigation the deputy found multiple passports with multiple names, multiple driving license[s] with different names.”
While Bianco stated that Riverside officers “probably did” prevent a third assassination attempt, the Secret Service Chief of Communications posted a joint statement with the FBI noting that the investigation is ongoing but that the former president “was not in any danger.”
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Secret Service, and FBI are aware of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office’s arrest on Saturday. The U.S. Secret Service assesses that the incident did not impact protective operations and former President Donald Trump was not in any danger,” the statement read.
“While no federal arrest has been made at this time, the investigation is ongoing. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Secret Service, and FBI extend their gratitude to the deputies and local partners who helped ensure the safety of last night’s events,” the statement concluded.
In mid-September, Florida officials arrested 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh after a Secret Service agent spotted him in the bushes at Trump International Golf Course West Palm Beach while the former president was playing the course. After firing shots at Routh, the 58-year-old fled, leaving behind an “AK-47 style rifle with a scope,” two backpacks, a GoPro and ceramic body armor plates, officials confirmed. (RELATED: Trump Campaign Requests Military Aircraft, Bulletproof Glass Amid Security Threats)
Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump points as he walks onstage for a campaign rally on October 12, 2024 in Coachella, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Routh was formally charged on Sept. 24 by federal prosecutors with attempting to assassinate a major political candidate, knowingly possessing a firearm and ammunition despite a previous conviction, possession of a firearm that had “the importer’s and manufacturer’s serial number removed, obliterated and altered,” and forcibly assaulting and interfering with a Secret Service special agent, according to court documents.
The arrest of Routh came after the July 13 assassination attempt against the former president by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who fired multiple rounds into Trump’s Butler, Pennsylvania, rally. The attack killed former volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore, injured two supporters and injured Trump’s ear as well.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more details become available.
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