Federal officials say Trump was not in danger after man arrested with illegal weapons near campaign rally in California
A man was arrested on state gun charges Saturday near Donald Trump’s rally in California, but the former president “was not in any danger,” the US Secret Service said in a joint statement with the FBI and the Department of Justice.
The man, who authorities say was illegally possessing a shotgun, a loaded handgun and a high-capacity magazine, was able to gain access to an initial perimeter near the rally in Coachella, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said Sunday.
Once the man, identified by the sheriff as 49-year-old Vem Miller of Las Vegas, made it to the second perimeter, authorities realized some “irregularities,” Bianco said. The interior of the car was in disarray, the vehicle was unregistered, and it had a fake license plate, according to Bianco.
Miller was in possession of multiple driver’s licenses and passports with different names, according to Bianco. It is unclear why Miller was in the area, according to Bianco, who said Miller claimed to be a journalist to gain entry to the rally.
Miller was taken into custody before Trump’s rally and charged with firearms offenses. He was later released on $5,000 bail, according to the sheriff’s office.
Read more: CNN