A man with multiple guns was arrested outside of Saturday’s Trump rally in Coachella Valley, California, but the reason he had them is in dispute.
“I truly do believe we prevented another assassination attempt,” Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said, according to the New York Post.
But Vem Miller of Las Vegas said he is a supporter of former President Donald Trump.
“I always travel around with my firearms in the back of my truck,” he said, according to Fox News, saying he has done so since he started getting death threats. “I’ve literally never even shot a gun in my life.”
According to the Press Enterprise, Miller was detained after he approached a checkpoint for the Trump rally. Police said he illegally possessed a shotgun, loaded handgun, and a high-capacity magazine.
Miller’s car had a phony license plate and was unregistered, Bianco said.
Bianco said Miller had a phony VIP pass and multiple false passports and drivers licenses.
In Miller’s version of the story, he informed deputies that there were guns in his vehicle.
According to a Sheriff’s Office news release, Miller was charged with possession of a loaded firearm and possession of a high-capacity magazine.
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On Sunday, Biano said his department averted the potential of a third assassination attempt on the former president.
Biano referred to Miller as a “lunatic.”
“What his frame of mind was, all we can do is speculate,” Bianco said, according to the Post. “If you’re asking me right now, I probably did have deputies that prevented the third assassination attempt.”
“If we are that politically lost, that we have lost sight of common sense and reality and reason that we can’t say, ‘Holy crap, what did he show up with all of that stuff for?’ … And I’m going to be accused of being dramatic?” he said.
“We have a serious, serious problem in this country, because this is common sense and reason,” he said.
A Trump campaign source said the campaign is not classifying the incident as another assassination attempt, according to Fox News.
“We thank law enforcement for securing the rally site and helping ensure the safety of President Trump. We are aware of news reports about the arrest and are currently monitoring the situation and gathering more information,” a representative of the Trump campaign said.
The Post reported that the Secret Service does not believe Miller planned to assassinate Trump. The FBI is not investigating the incident as a planned assassination.
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