On October 14, 2024, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco confirmed in a text message to a reporter from the Epoch Times that the police arrested an armed man at a Trump rally on October 12 who claimed he wanted to “kill the president.”
The event took place in the afternoon of October 12 at the Calhoun Ranch in Coachella, Riverside County, about 130 miles away from Los Angeles. The rally, attended by former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, drew a large crowd of people.
Although the rally ended without incident, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office issued an alert on Sunday, October 13, stating that at 4:59 p.m. on the day of the rally, officers responsible for security intercepted a black SUV at the intersection of 52 Ave and Celebration Dr.
The male driver of the SUV was identified as 49-year-old Vem Miller, a resident of Las Vegas. He was accused of illegally possessing a hunting rifle, a loaded handgun, and high-capacity magazines, and is currently being held at the John J. Benoit Detention Center.
Authorities reassured that this incident did not pose a threat to Trump or the rally participants. Voter Jimmy from California told reporters, “We were completely unaware of the situation on-site, and nothing abnormal happened. Everyone was enthusiastic and there were supporters everywhere.”
Sheriff Bianco confirmed to the Epoch Times reporter via text message that the arrested man was suspected of plotting to assassinate Trump: “We arrested a man who attempted to bring two guns into the rally venue and he eventually said he wanted to kill the president.”
Bianco added that another Iraqi man was identified as a “threat” by a well-trained explosive-detection canine at the scene and was denied entry to the rally.
This is the third “assassination” incident targeting Trump in the past three months. On July 13, Trump was targeted in an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania, where one person was shot in the ear and another rally attendee was killed in the same shooting, with the shooter being killed; on September 15, an “attempted assassination” incident occurred at Trump’s International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Trump’s campaign team later confirmed that the former president was unharmed.
California has been traditionally seen as a Democratic stronghold, with over half of the voters in Coachella, where Trump held the rally, being Democrats. At the rally, Trump discussed the rising cost of living issues in California, such as high inflation, unaffordable housing, and high gasoline prices.
As of the deadline, the case of the man who threatened to “kill the president” is still under investigation, and the police have not disclosed further details about the arrest. Authorities urge anyone with information about the case to call Deputy Coronado at the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station substation at 760-836-1600.