What may have been the third attempt on the life of President Trump was halted Saturday at his Coachella, California, rally, when local law enforcement stopped a man carrying faked entry passes and firearms.
This from redstate.com.
And the story becomes stranger from there:
A third assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump was thwarted at the last minute Saturday when local cops stopped a man armed with guns and fake passes outside his rally at Coachella Valley, the local sheriff said.
The suspect was caught about a mile from the rally venue with a phony-entry pass, according to police. He was also carrying a loaded shotgun, handgun and high-capacity magazine.
‘We probably stopped another assassination attempt,’ Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said.
The suspect, identified as Vem Miller, was intercepted by police at a checkpoint about a half-mile from the rally entrance. He was carrying a fake phony [sic] press and VIP passes.
It is unclear to which firearm the “high capacity magazine” belonged—likely the handgun. What’s more, both of these weapons are for short-range use, meaning this would-be assassin may very well have intended to get up close. Given the increased security around Trump after two previous assassination attempts, that would have been a difficult task indeed.
Here’s the baffling part of all this:
Miller is believed to be a member of a rightwing anti-government organization, according to Bianco, and was plotting to kill Trump.
He has a UCLA Masters degree, and in 2022 ran for Nevada State assembly, the newspaper reported.
Miller was booked for possessing a loaded firearm and a high-capacity magazine—and was released after posting $5,000 bail, police records show.
Released? He was released? On a bail of $5,000? Granted he was stopped a mile away, and the only thing he can be charged with is the possession of a loaded gun, and the high-capacity magazine, which likely is prohibited in California. Even so, one would think that whatever judge this came in front of would have tried to max out the allowable bail.
It would be interesting to know what evidence the Riverside County Sheriff’s office has on Miller—a UCLA graduate—being a member of a “rightwing anti-government organization,” which evidence is not presented. But the primary assessment—that these cops thwarted what was very likely a third attempt to assassinate Donald Trump—is very plausible.
A third attempt. Think about that for a moment. This is something that, in the history of what was formed as a Constitutional Republic, we have not seen before.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department released a statement:
On Saturday, October 12, 2024, at 4:59 p.m., deputies assigned to former President Donald Trump’s rally in the Coachella Valley contacted the driver of a black SUV at a checkpoint at the intersection of Avenue 52 and Celebration Drive. The male driver, identified as Vem Miller, a 49-year-old resident of Las Vegas, was found to be illegally in possession of a shotgun, a loaded handgun, and a high-capacity magazine. Miller was taken into custody without incident and later booked at the John J. Benoit Detention Center for possession of a loaded firearm and possession of a high-capacity magazine. This incident did not impact the safety of former President Trump or attendees of the event.
Anyone with information on this case is encouraged to call Deputy Coronado at the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station by calling (760) 836–1600.
At this time, there seem to be more questions than answers. All we know about the apparent would-be assassin is his name, that he is from Las Vegas, and the details around his arrest. Everything else is speculation.
