Authorities thwarted a possible third assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on Saturday when local law enforcement apprehended a man in possession of firearms and counterfeit entry passes outside his rally in Coachella Valley, California. The suspect was detained roughly a mile from the rally site, where police discovered he had a fraudulent entry pass, a loaded shotgun, a handgun, and a high-capacity magazine.
“We probably stopped another assassination attempt,” Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told the New York Post.
The suspect, identified as Vem Miller, was intercepted by police at a checkpoint about a half-mile from the rally entrance. He was carrying a fake phony press and VIP passes.
“They were different enough to cause the deputies alarm,” Bianco said, according to the Riverside Press-Enterprise.
Miller is believed to be a member of a rightwing anti-government organization, according to Bianco, and was plotting to kill Trump.
He has a UCLA Masters degree, and in 2022 ran for Nevada State assembly, the newspaper reported.
A report from the Press-Enterprise has more:
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.
The Sheriff’s Department set up what Bianco called a double perimeter that controlled access within a half mile of the rally. Residents were allowed through, but they were watched to make sure they drove to their neighborhoods and not toward the rally.
Miller was caught at one of those checkpoints.
Bianco said that the last he heard, Miller had not made any statements to investigators.
Miller was arrested and booked at the John J. Benoit Detention Center for possessing a loaded firearm and a high-capacity magazine. Shockingly, he was released on a mere $5,000 bail just hours later! How is this even possible? Bianco says his department likely stopped another assassination attempt, and this guy gets out on bail?
According to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department inmate database, Miller will appear at the Indio Larson Justice Center on Jan. 2, 2025.
The sheriff said he is in disbelief.
“I thought it’s not going to happen in Riverside County. We don’t have the same sicko issues and violent protests like they have in Los Angeles. We’re better than that. Go figure.”
Bianco said U.S. Secret Service officials said his department went “above and beyond” in their efforts to protect Trump and others who attended the rally.
“I am extremely proud of the mental and physical effort our deputies showed all day,” said Bianco, who noted high temperatures in the desert area were near 100 degrees.
The FBI also questioned another man after bomb-sniffing dogs identified him as possibly dangerous.
“The incident did not impact protective operations. The Secret Service extends its gratitude to the deputies and local partners who assisted in safeguarding last night’s events,” the Secret Service said in a statement.
This is a developing story.
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