Trump assassination attempt at Coachella Valley rally foiled when gun-wielding man arrested, Riverside sheriff says – The Denver Post

A third assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump was foiled Saturday after a Las Vegas man was arrested with guns and fake passports about a half-mile from Trump's campaign rally in the Coachella Valley, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said on Sunday.

Deputies in charge of Trump's rally said the driver, Vem Miller, rolled up to a checkpoint at the intersection of Avenue 52 and Celebration Drive in a black SUV around 5 p.m. with a high-capacity magazine, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said in a statement press release with.

Bianco told the Southern California News Group on Sunday that he believes Miller – who he says is a member of a right-wing anti-government group – was plotting to kill Trump and that deputies foiled the plan when Miller used fake VIP and press credentials checkpoint presented at a meeting.

“They were so different that they alerted deputies,” Bianco said. “We probably prevented another assassination attempt.”

Miller is a registered Republican who holds a master's degree from UCLA and ran for the Nevada State Assembly 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 laws unless they agree to them.

The Sheriff's Department set up what it called a “double perimeter” that controlled access within a half-mile of the rally. Residents were allowed to pass through, but were monitored to ensure they were driving into their neighborhood and not toward the rally.

Miller was caught at one of these checkpoints.

Bianco said that the last time he heard, Miller had not made any statements to investigators.

The sheriff said he was in disbelief.

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

Bianco said U.S. Secret Service officials said his department “did everything possible” in its efforts to protect Trump and others at the rally.

“I am extremely proud of the mental and physical performance our deputies demonstrated throughout the day,” said Bianco, who noted high temperatures in the desert region were near 100 degrees.

Bianco also said the FBI is questioning another man after bomb-sniffing dogs “repeatedly” identified him as potentially dangerous. This man was not allowed into the rally, Bianco said.

Miller was booked at the John J. Benoit Detention Center on charges of possession of a loaded firearm and possession of a high-capacity magazine, authorities said.

He was released on $5,000 bail Saturday and is scheduled to appear at the Indio Larson Justice Center on Jan. 2, 2025, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department inmate database.

The Secret Service issued a brief statement saying it was aware of the arrest. “The incident had no impact on protective measures. “The Secret Service thanks the deputies and local partners who helped secure last night’s events,” the agency said.

In September, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh was charged with attempting to assassinate Trump as he played golf. U.S. Secret Service agents found Routh with a high-powered rifle on September 15 outside the Trump International Golf Club in Palm Beach. Agents spotted the barrel of his gun in the bushes and shot him before he fled.

On July 13, 2024, at a rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, Matthew Crooks shot Trump with an AR-15 rifle from a nearby rooftop as Trump gave a campaign speech. Crooks shot Trump in the ear, killing one attendee and seriously wounding two others before Crooks was killed by Secret Service snipers.

City News Service contributed to this report. More information will be added as it becomes available.

Thousands flock to watch Donald Trump's rally near Coachella