(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
A man was arrested Saturday for illegally carrying firearms near former President Donald Trump’s rally in Coachella.
The individual is reportedly from Las Vegas, according to Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. Law enforcement noted that deputies came in contact with the man during a checkpoint near the rally.
When they searched the individual’s vehicle they found a he was illegally possessing a handgun, a shotgun, and a high-capacity magazine. However, the sheriff’s department added that the incident did not impact Trump’s safety.
“This incident did not impact the safety of former President Trump or attendees of the event,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement. No injuries or gunfire occurred in connection with the man’s arrest.
Law enforcement identified the man as 49-year-old Vem Miller who was arrested and taken to John J. Benoit Detention Center.
In the last few months, the GOP nominee has faced two assassination attempts with one occurring at a rally in Pennsylvania where a gunman grazed Trump’s ear before killing one of his supporters.
In September, Ryan Wesley Routh was charged with attempting to assassinate Trump with a high-powered rifle outside Trump International Golf Club in Palm Beach. Agents spotted the barrel of his gun in a nearby bush.
Miller was later released that day on $5,000 bail and is scheduled to appear at the Indio Larson Justice Center next year, according to ABC7 Los Angeles and other outlets.
Sources close to the campaign later told Fox News that there was no assassination attempt against Trump at his Saturday rally.
NEW: Sources close to the Trump campaign tell @FoxNews there was no assassination attempt against Trump at his Coachella, CA rally yesterday. We’re told a man with a gun was arrested at the perimeter of the event without incident.
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) October 13, 2024
