A Nevada man with a shotgun, a loaded handgun and ammunition in his vehicle was arrested at a security checkpoint outside Donald Trump's rally Saturday night in the Southern California desert, authorities said Sunday. He was released Saturday on $5,000 bail.
The suspect, a 49-year-old resident of Las Vegas, was driving a black SUV that was stopped by deputies assigned to the rally in Coachella, east of Los Angeles, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said in a statement.
Authorities searched his vehicle and found multiple passports and illegally possessed weapons. The vehicle was unregistered and featured a "homemade" license plate.
"What we do know is that he showed up with multiple passports with different names, an unregistered vehicle with fake license plate and loaded firearms," said Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco at a press conference.
"If you're asking me right now, I probably did have deputies that prevented" a possible third assassination attempt against Trump, Bianco said.
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The man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a loaded firearm and possession of a high-capacity magazine, the department said.
“This incident did not impact the safety of former President Trump or attendees of the event,” the statement said.
The suspect is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 2, 2025, according to online records.
Media members, as well as VIP ticket holders, were routed through a number of intersections manned by state and local law enforcement officers before arriving at a large, grassy area where drivers were asked to open hoods and trunks, and each vehicle was searched by a K-9 officer.
Other general ticket holders were directed to a site roughly 3 miles away from the rally, where they were boarded onto buses and driven to the site.
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Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the arrest.
