iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
A Las Vegas man was arrested with a loaded firearm and a high-capacity magazine near former President Donald Trump’s rally in Coachella on Saturday, October 12.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said on Sunday that deputies assigned to the rally nabbed the driver of a black SUV at a checkpoint near the intersection of Avenue 52 and Celebration Drive. They recovered a shotgun, a loaded handgun, and a high-capacity magazine from the 49-year-old driver, Vem Miller.
The driver was taken into custody and booked. He was later released on $5,000 bail and is scheduled to appear at the Indio Larson Justice Center on January 2, 2025, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department inmate database. The sheriff’s department said that the incident did not impact the safety of former President Trump or attendees of the event.
The arrest comes as multiple high-profile attempts of violence against the former president have taken place during the high-voltage election campaign. The first attempt on Trump took place on July 13. Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, attempted to assassinate Trump at a rally near Butler, Pennsylvania. Crooks shot at Trump with a rifle from a nearby rooftop while Trump was giving a speech. Crooks hit Trump’s ear with a shot and killed one attendee while critically injuring two others before being killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper team. The FBI is investigating the case. The other case is of Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, who is currently being prosecuted on gun charges after he was found hiding out near a Florida golf course in an alleged attempt to have a clean shot at Trump on September 15.
“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 at the intersection of Avenue 52 and Celebration Drive. The male driver, identified as Vem Miller, a 49-year-old resident of Las Vegas, was found to be illegally in possession of a shotgun, a loaded handgun, and a high-capacity magazine. Miller was taken into custody without incident and later booked at the John J. Benoit Detention Center 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 people at the event,” the Riverside County Sheriff said in a statement. “Anyone with information on this case is encouraged to call Deputy Coronado at the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station by calling (760) 836–1600.”