Man Arrested with Two Firearms at Trump’s Rally at Coachella, What Could Have Been a Third ‘Assassination Attempt’
The suspect was arrested for possession of a loaded firearm and possession of a high-capacity magazine.
In what may have been a third attempt on the life of President Trump, a man was arrested Saturday at the site of a California rally where the former commander-in-chief was delivering remarks, though local law enforcement was able to stop him before he got anywhere near the event.
The man, identified as 49-year-old Las Vegas resident Vem Miller, had a handgun, a loaded shotgun, and a “high-capacity” magazine in his car.
“On Saturday, October 12, 2024, at 4:59 p.m., deputies assigned to former President Donald Trump’s rally in the Coachella Valley contacted the driver of a black SUV at a checkpoint,” the Riverside County sheriff’s office said in a statement. “The male driver … was found to be illegally in possession of a shotgun, a loaded handgun, and a high-capacity magazine.”
The sheriff said Mr. Miller was “taken into custody without incident and later booked … for possession of a loaded firearm and possession of a high-capacity magazine.
“This incident did not impact the safety of former President Trump or attendees of the event,” law enforcement added.
Riverside County sheriff Chad Biano told the Riverside Press-Enterprise that his officers “probably stopped another assassination attempt” on Trump, which would be the third attempt in just four months.
The Riverside County sheriff will hold a press conference on Sunday evening to detail what happened.
Mr. Miller’s social media — unlike the two other would-be assassins, Thomas Crooks and Ryan Routh — shows he is very friendly to conservative causes. Mr. Miller’s Instagram page shows him smiling with former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and far-right influencer Jack Posobiec. Mr. Miller also posted a photo of Donald Trump Jr. at this year’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. The photo appears to show Mr. Trump signing something for Mr. Miller.
In July, the former president was famously shot in the ear by Crooks, whose motive has yet to be disclosed to the public, if law enforcement has discovered one at all. Routh is awaiting trial in south Florida for waiting for hours in the bushes near Trump’s golf course to take a shot at the former president, but was thwarted by a Secret Service agent who saw the barrel of the rifle protruding from the tree line.
