A man arrested at a security checkpoint near former President Trump's Coachella rally was found with guns and fake press and VIP credentials, the Riverside County Sheriff's Office said Sunday.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said at a Sunday afternoon briefing that his deputies "probably prevented" a "third assassination attempt" on the Republican presidential candidate's life.
Sheriff's deputies stopped the suspect, identified as Vem Miller, 49, of Las Vegas, Nevada, in a black SUV just before 5pm Saturday local time, per an online statement from the Riverside County Sheriff's Office, reports axios.com.
The suspect "was found to be illegally in possession of a shotgun, a loaded handgun, and a high-capacity magazine," according to the statement.
The suspect claimed at the outside perimeter that he was a journalist and that he had "VIP status," but sheriff's deputies assigned to Trump's Coachella rally found the driver at the inside perimeter had multiple passports and that the vehicle was unregistered, Bianco said.
Evidence from a fake license plate of the unregistered vehicle indicates that Miller is affiliated with the sovereign citizen movement, which the FBI designates as "anti-government extremists," Bianco said.
Federal and county officials said the incident did not impact the safety of Trump nor attendees of the event.
"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," according to the the Riverside County Sheriff's Office statement.
Miller was released on $5,000 bail, per the Riverside County Inmate Information System.
Bianco said his office was working with the U.S. Secret Service and the FBI and that while they arrested and booked the suspect on firearms charges, "anything further will come from the federal government."
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
