Federal authorities are investigating the arrest of a man with a gun in his car after he was stopped at a nearby checkpoint Saturday. campaign rally for former President Donald Trump.
The Justice Department said Sunday that the Secret Service and FBI are investigating the incident in Coachella, Calif., about a quarter-mile from where the rally took place.
“The US Secret Service assesses that the incident did not affect security operations and that former President Trump is not in any danger,” said Martin Estrada, U.S. Attorney for Central California. “Although no federal arrests have been made at this time, the investigation is ongoing.”
A federal law enforcement official said there was no indication of an assassination attempt on Trump.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said at a news conference Sunday that the man was stopped at a checkpoint around 5 p.m. local time Saturday to enter an “inner perimeter” of security that protects the area where all vehicles must stop. the deputy found the interior of his SUV disheveled and displaying an “obviously fake license plate.”
Deputies found two unregistered firearms — a shotgun and a loaded handgun — and “a large amount of ammunition,” Bianco said.
It’s a place Ranch used by Empire Polo Club for competition and practiceit had leased its previous home space to the concert promoters behind the celebrated Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in neighboring Indio.
Bianco said the detainee, identified as Wem Miller, said he was invited to the rally by another participant and was also allowed to attend as a journalist. Deputies found multiple fake IDs, including passports, under various names in the SUV.
Miller, 49, of the Las Vegas area, was arrested on suspicion of carrying a loaded firearm and possession of a large-capacity magazine of the type prohibited in California, according to Riverside County inmate records. Both are sins.
Records show he was released just before midnight. Bianco said further investigation into why he tried to enter the venue under false pretenses is a matter for federal law enforcement.
A Secret Service official said in a statement: “We were contacted as soon as this occurred and Secret Service agents conducted a productive intelligence interview. It had no impact on the incident and we are investigating the individuals’ circumstances and backgrounds.”
An official familiar with the situation said that Trump was not at the event when the person was detained.
When asked about the arrest, the Trump campaign official seemed unaware of the incident. When additional information was provided, no comment or response was given.
Trump, who acted as the second presidential candidate of the Republican Party against Vice President Kamala Harris, was assassinated in July and September.
On July 13 a gunman hit Trump in the ear and shot a man At a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The gunman was killed. And on September 15 Trump International Golf Club A suspected gunman was found hiding in bushes near his home in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Bianco said the man who was stopped Saturday walked through the outer perimeter after “giving every indication that he belonged there.” But he said he was confident that the chances of the man getting beyond the inner perimeter were not very high, especially if he had to get permission from a third party to participate.
“You can’t give a ticket to a rally for the former president,” said Bianco, who declared his political support for Trump.
He said the entry process includes going through metal detectors at the Secret Service crosswalk at the entrance.
Bianco said the situation could have been worse if fast-acting deputies hadn’t stopped the man early in the process to enter the rally.
“I was absolutely convinced that nothing was going to happen inside this facility,” he said.
Bianco pointed to the alleged fake license plate and what he described as a lack of documentation, including vehicle registration, as a possible link to the anti-government sovereign citizens movement.
Miller was scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 2 in nearby Indio on a weapons violation.
Kelly O’Donnell, Jake Traylor, Andrew Blankstein and Tom Winter contributed.