Man arrested outside Trump rally had two guns and fake passports

As we’ve been reporting, there are quote a few questions that remain unanswered following Saturday’s arrest outside Trump’s rallyt in Coachella, California.

With this, we end our live coverage for the day to resume in a few hours.

Until then, for all the latest, please read this story.

Peter Bowes
North America correspondent

Many questions remain unanswered.

While Riverside
County Sheriff Chad Bianco said it was impossible to speculate about what was
in the mind of the suspect, whom he called a “lunatic,” he said he
“truly believed” that his officers had prevented a third assassination
attempt against Donald Trump.

He added that it may be impossible to prove that this was the man’s
intent.

Federal authorities say they are still investigating the incident, and
it would be up to them to pursue any additional charges.

The incident
highlights, once again, the intense security operation around Donald Trump, and
the dangers facing the former president, with just over three weeks to go until
the election.

Suspect Vem Miller told authorities he was a member of the far-right group called Sovereign Citizens, sheriff Bianco says.

He says the license plate was also “indicative of a group of individuals that claim to be Sovereign Citizens”, but has not concluded that Miller was a member.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a militant group. It’s just a group that doesn’t believe in government and government control,” he says. “They don’t believe that government and laws apply to them.”

And that is the end of this news conference.

Sheriff Bianco says the Riverside County Sheriff’s office’s investigation is “relatively done”.

He says continuation of the investigation “will be a cooperation between us, the Secret Service and the FBI”.

“There were two guns and multiple boxes of ammunition for both,” sheriff Bianco says.

This is an additional detail from earlier when we learned there was a shotgun, a loaded handgun and a high capacity magazine.

Sheriff Bianco then adds that the suspect was able to get through to the second perimeter because “he claimed to be a journalist and he claimed to have VIP status at the event”.

Image source, Sheriff’s department

Sheriff Bianco says what his team was able to do, he was “completely confident that there was absolutely nothing” that would happen inside the Coachella venue.

“I am extremely proud of what the deputies did and the personal buy-in that they took upon themselves to ensure the safety of our former president and the attendees of the rally,” he says.

“We did exactly what he had hoped for.”

Sheriff Bianco says his office is still in contact with the Secret Service and the FBI to investigate the incident “until we get to the bottom of it”.

He was then asked about the suspect’s political affiliation, a question which the sheriff dismisses.

Bianco says he doesn’t know the suspect’s political affiliation but says “he was a lunatic”.

The sheriff snaps back at a reporter who asks him if his remarks about the suspects motives were “dramatic”.

The sheriff responds “we have a serious, serious problem in this country, because this is common sense and reason”, shortly after saying that deputies “probably” prevented a third assassination.

Sheriff Chad Bianco says: “There is absolutely no way any of us are going to know what truly was in his head.”

“What his frame of mind was, really all we can do is speculate unless we truly just want to believe anything that he tells us,” the sheriff says.

The sheriff says that Coachella had two security perimeters, an outside perimeter and an inside perimeter.

The suspect approached the outside perimeter, “gave all indications that he was allowed to be there, he was allowed through that outer perimeter, as he got to that inside perimeter “many irregularities that popped up”, the sheriff says.

The interior of the vehicle was in “quite disarray and had a fake license plate which prompted further investigation”, he says.

The deputy found multiple passports with multiple names, multiple drivers’ licences, the sheriff says, adding that the licence plate was “homemade” and not registered.

Chad Bianco, a Riverside County sheriff, opened the press briefing saying he “may not be able to give all of the information… because of what we’re doing”.

He continues: “There are some things that I cannot give you. That i will not give you.”

The Riversite County Sherrif’s Department has now begun its news conference.

Representative Byron Donalds, a Florida Republican who was once on the potential list to be Trump’s running mate, leaves some doubt whether he would unequivocally accept the 2024 election results.

President Biden signed the Electoral Count Act after the 6 January riots on the US Capitol as his election was being certified to prevent future efforts to overturn the election.

Donalds was asked on CNN this morning if he would respect the new legislation.

“As long as states and jurisdictions follow election procedures in their states, there will be no problem for me or anybody on Capitol Hill,” Donalds replied.

It was a clear contrast from Democratic Representative James Clyburn, who told the same show that he would “absolutely” certify the election results, irrespective of outcome.

“That is what this country is all about: have the election and when the election is over, you put it behind us and move on, trying to continue this pursuit for a more perfect union,” Clyburn said.

Peter Bowes
North America correspondent

Security measures around Donald Trump are now on a par
with that of a sitting president.

The Republican candidate was grazed by a
bullet during a rally in Pennsylvania in July, and a man allegedly tried to
kill him last month at his golf course in Florida.

The nature of this latest
incident is not yet clear, but based on the limited details released so far, Mr
Trump’s life does not appear to have been in immediate danger.

That said, the
authorities and Mr Trump’s security detail will have been on high alert.

It was
a surprise that the former president decided to campaign this weekend in
California, given that the state is solidly Democratic.

It was, however, an
opportunity for him to highlight what he sees as Kamala Harris’s failed record
in her home state.

There have been limited details about the incident which involved a suspect arrested for illegal possession of firearms and ammo near Trump’s California rally on Saturday.

Police encountered suspect Vem Miller and spotted the firearms when they stopped his black SUV at a security checkpoint near the venue in Coachella.

The former president’s security detail had been heightened intensely after two previous alleged assassination attempts.

In July, a sniper positioned on a roof in Butler, Pennsylvania, fired multiple rounds at Trump during his rally, injuring the former president’s ear and killing one attendee. Secret Service snipers returned fire and killed the gunman.

In September, a man was arrested outside of the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida, after they spotted the muzzle of a rifle poking through the bushes a few hundred yards away. He is in custody.

Image source, Getty Images

JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, continues to defend his previous remarks that many interpreted as a plan to defund Planned Parenthood, a non-profit that provides sexual and reproductive healthcare.

Vance said that Republicans “don’t want taxpayer funding for abortions” on Sunday after he was asked whether the former president supports defunding the organisation.

“I know that Planned Parenthood does a lot of things that a lot of young women, a lot of young families need, we’re talking about – we don’t believe in taxpayer funding for abortions,” Vance told Fox News.

US law prohibits the use of federal funding for abortion except in the cases of rape, incest or the life of the mother.

The Trump-Vance campaign have been on the defence when discussing abortion, a topic where polls suggest voters trust Democrats more.

The pair have repeatedly had to deny that they would support a federal abortion ban, a concern among voters after Trump celebrated the Supreme Court overturning of Roe v Wade, the landmark legislation that protected abortion rights nationally.

Records via the Riverside County Jail Information Management System indicate that Vem Miller was released on Saturday on a $5,000 bail following his arrest.

His next court date is listed for next year.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said it will hold a press conference about the incident at 15:00 (22:00 GMT).

The arrest on Saturday comes as security around Donald Trump has been increased after two previous alleged assassination attempts.

Officials assigned to former President Donald Trump’s rally discovered the guns when they made contact with the driver of a black SUV at a nearby checkpoint, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said.

The driver, a 49-year-old male, “illegally” possessed a shotgun, a loaded handgun, and a high-capacity magazine, police said.

Vem Miller was taken into custody “without incident” and booked in jail for possession of a loaded firearm and possession of a high-capacity magazine.

Police said the encounter did not affect Trump’s safety or the rally’s attendees

A man with guns was arrested on Saturday outside Donald Trump’s rally in Coachella, California, police have announced.

Details are still coming in and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is to hold a news conference.

US media, quoting police, reported he was also in possession of a fake pass.