A California man, Vem Miller, was arrested on Saturday for attempting to bring two unregistered firearms through a security checkpoint at a rally for former President Donald Trump in Coachella.
The arrest, announced by Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, raises serious concerns regarding security at political events.
Sheriff Bianco reported that Miller attempted to enter the rally using credentials designated for VIP participants and journalists. Upon arrival at the inside perimeter, deputies conducted a search of Miller’s vehicle, uncovering a loaded unregistered handgun, a shotgun with multiple boxes of ammunition, and a high-capacity magazine.
In addition to the firearms, law enforcement found multiple passports and driver’s licenses with different names, indicating further irregularities.
Authorities also discovered that Miller’s vehicle was unregistered and bore a homemade license plate suggesting an affiliation with a group known as the Sovereign Citizens. This group’s ideology is known for rejecting government authority, which adds an alarming dimension to the case.
Bianco noted that Miller’s arrest may have averted a potential assassination attempt on Trump, marking it as the third such incident against the former president in recent months.
This incident follows another arrest of an individual believed to have attempted an assassination while Trump was golfing in West Palm Beach, Florida, just weeks earlier. In July, Trump was shot in the ear during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, underscoring escalating security threats surrounding his appearances.
Miller has since been released from custody, with a state court case pending.
Riverside County police are actively collaborating with the U.S. Secret Service and the FBI to assist in a federal investigation, which may result in additional charges.
