Authorities have foiled a third assassination attempt against former U.S. president Donald Trump, according to police reports.
A Las Vegas man was arrested near a Trump rally in Coachella Valley, California, with weapons and counterfeit passes, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco revealed.
The suspect, identified as Vem Miller, was stopped at a checkpoint and found to be in possession of a shotgun, a loaded handgun, and a high-capacity magazine, the sheriff’s department said in a statement.
Bianco suggested that Miller, a member of a right-wing anti-government group, had planned to assassinate Trump. Deputies interrupted the plan when Miller attempted to use fake VIP and press credentials to gain access.
“The passes were suspicious enough to raise concerns among deputies,” Bianco explained. “We likely prevented another assassination attempt.”
Miller, who identifies as a sovereign citizen (a group that rejects government authority), was arrested for carrying a loaded firearm and high-capacity magazine. He was later released on Sunday after posting bail of $5,000 for each of the two misdemeanors.
This incident comes amid heightened security for Trump following two previous assassination attempts.
The first occurred on July 13, 2024, during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks shot Trump in the ear before being killed by Secret Service agents.
A second attempt happened on August 15, when 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh was arrested in Florida for allegedly aiming a rifle at Trump while he was golfing.
