Man arrested with guns near Coachella Trump rally threatens to sue Riverside County

The man suspected of possessing two loaded guns and a high-capacity magazine outside Donald Trump's weekend rally near Coachella was out on bail today -- and reportedly is threatening to sue Riverside County after being called a possible assassination threat to the former president.   

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said Sunday that deputies might have stopped another attempt on Trump's life after a 49-year-old Las Vegas man was arrested near the Saturday rally.

The suspect -- identified as Vem Miller -- was taken into custody and later booked at the John J. Benoit Detention Center on suspicion of possessing a loaded firearm and high-capacity magazine.

Meanwhile, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times on Monday, Miller said, "Everything they said about me is untrue, provably so. Unfortunately, he (Bianco) appears to have committed career suicide."

Miller also told the newspaper that his lawyers are preparing a "massive lawsuit" against the county.  

"As of right this second, I could prove everything they said is untrue,'' the Times quoted Miller as saying. "It's just going to be bad. ... That sheriff is going to lose his job."  

Deputies assigned to the rally contacted the driver of a black SUV, later identified as Miller, at a checkpoint near the intersection of Avenue 52 and Celebration Drive just before 5 p.m. Saturday -- before Trump's arrival -- sheriff's officials said.

They allegedly found the driver in possession of a shotgun, a loaded handgun and a high-capacity magazine.   

Miller was released Saturday on $5,000 bail, and was scheduled to appear at the Indio Larson Justice Center on Jan. 2, according to the department's inmate database.

At a news conference Sunday afternoon, Bianco said deputies detained the suspect at a second checkpoint after they noticed the interior of his vehicle "was in disarray," claiming that the vehicle had a fake license plate and the suspect had "multiple'' fake passports and fake driver licenses with different names.  

The sheriff said the vehicle's license plate, which he called "homemade," was indicative that Miller was a part of a "sovereign citizens" movement, whose followers do not believe they are subject to any government regulations, including those for guns and vehicles. Miller "flatly denied" that, according to the Riverside Press-Enterprise.   

According to Bianco, both guns in Miller's possession were unregistered, and he had multiple boxes of ammunition for both weapons.

Bianco doubled down on his earlier assertion that he believes "We probably stopped another assassination attempt,'' despite Miller's claim that he was not there to harm the former president.

In comments to Southern California News Group, Miller said he supports Trump and only had the guns for protection.   

"I'm an artist, I'm the last person that would cause any violence and harm to anybody," Miller told the newspaper group.   

In the interview with the Times, Miller said he has received death threats in response to work he's done for his media company, the America Happens Network.

Miller told SCNG he was invited to the Coachella Valley rally by the head of Clark County's Republican Party. Miller is a caucus captain for Trump in Nevada, according to the report. He also said he had never fired the weapons and was unaware of the differences between gun laws in Nevada and California.

SCNG described Miller as a registered Republican who holds a master's degree from UCLA and ran for state Assembly in Nevada in 2022.   

Bianco told SCNG on Sunday that he believes Miller planned to kill Trump and that deputies arrested him after Miller presented fake VIP and press passes at the checkpoint.

"They were different enough to cause the deputies alarm,'' Bianco said.  

The sheriff was dismissive when asked about Miller's claims to the newspaper group.

"We know that we prevented something bad from happening, and it's irrelevant what that bad was going to be,'' he said.   

According to the sheriff's department, the incident did not impact the safety of Trump or attendees of the event.   

Bianco said further potential charges against Miller would be up to federal authorities, claiming that the department had engaged with the Secret Service and the FBI.

The U.S. Attorney's Office issued the following statement Sunday afternoon:   

"The U.S. Attorney's Office U.S. Secret Service, and FBI are aware of the Riverside County Sheriff's Office's arrest on Saturday. The U.S. Secret Service assesses that the incident did not impact protective operations and former President Trump was not in any danger. While no federal arrest has been made at this time, the investigation is ongoing. The U.S. Attorney's Office, U.S. Secret Service, and FBI extend their gratitude to the deputies and local partners who helped ensure the safety of last night's events."

Trump himself had not commented on the arrest as of Monday, although campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung thanked law enforcement officials for securing the rally site, according to CNN.

"We are aware of news reports about the arrest and are currently monitoring the situation and gathering more information,'' Cheung said.   

Trump was shot in the ear at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 by a man who was subsequently shot dead by authorities. On Sept. 22, a man was arrested after the Secret Service allegedly saw him pointing a rifle from shrubbery on the West Palm Beach, Florida, golf course where Trump was playing.