- Donald Trump faces possible assassination attempt in California
- Man arrested with firearms near Trump’s rally
- Previous threats included shootings in Pennsylvania and Florida
Donald Trump appears to have faced yet another threat to his life when a man claiming false VIP credentials was apprehended after a shotgun, high-capacity magazine, and a loaded handgun were discovered in his truck during a rally over the weekend.
Vem Miller, 49, was arrested after being stopped at a checkpoint near the former president’s rally in Coachella, California, on Saturday.
Local law police said the incident was ‘possibly’ a third assassination attempt after Trump was shot in the ear in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July and an armed suspect pointed a gun at him in West Palm Beach, Florida, in September.
However, a source close to Trump’s campaign downplayed the threat, telling DailyMail.com that the gunman was caught before posing any harm.
“This incident had no impact on the safety of former President Trump or event attendees,” the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office maintained in a statement.
However, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told Southern California News Group, ‘We probably averted another assassination attempt.’
Bianco, a noted Trump supporter, told the newspaper that Miller showed bogus VIP and press permits at the border, which prompted the search.
He will hold a press conference on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. Eastern time to brief the public on the incident.
When law officials searched Miller’s black SUV on Saturday, they discovered that he was in illegal possession of firearms, magazines, and ammunition.
He was arrested at John Benoit Detention Centre, posted $10,000 bail ($5,000 for each of the two misdemeanors he was charged with), and was released from detention on Sunday.
Miller’s next court appearance is planned for January 2.
‘There was no assassination attempt in California yesterday,’ a source close to Trump’s team informed. ‘A man at a perimeter checkpoint had a gun, but nothing happened.’
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The latest development comes as Trump’s security detail remained on high alert after two assassination attempts against the previous president.
The first occurred on July 13 at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when 20-year-old shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks struck Trump in the right ear before being fatally shot by the Secret Service. The would-be assassin murdered one rallygoer and gravely injured two others with his weapon while crouched a few hundred feet away from where Trump was speaking that day.
Then, barely two months later, on August 15, Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was apprehended in Florida after fleeing the scene where the Secret Service shot him.
Routh allegedly fired a rifle at Trump as he was golfing at his West Palm Beach club. Still, the former president’s security detail saw the barrel and prevented a second assassination attempt.
