An apparent third assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump was reportedly stopped at the last moment on Sunday when law enforcement officials apprehended an armed man with fake passes outside Trump’s rally in California, authorities announced on Sunday.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that the man was intercepted at 4:59 p.m. on Saturday evening, just a minute before the event was set to start.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said, “We probably stopped another assassination attempt.”
Vem Miller, a 49-year-old resident of Las Vegas, was stopped in a black SUV and was found “to be illegally in possession of a shotgun, a loaded handgun, and a high-capacity magazine,” police said in a press release.
Miller was taken into custody without incident and booked at the John J. Benoit Detention Center for possession of a loaded firearm and possession of a high-capacity magazine. Miller was offered bail and was released after posting the $5,000, the New York Post reported.
Despite Bianco’s remarks, sources close to the Trump campaign said that there was no assassination attempt yesterday.
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
Bianco said that the suspect was stopped about a half-mile away from the rally entrance carrying fake passes. “They were different enough to cause the deputies alarm,” Bianco said, according to the Riverside Press-Enterprise.
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