A man was detained near Donald Trump's rally in California on Saturday when he was stopped at a security checkpoint, authorities said Sunday. He is now charged with numerous gun-related offenses.
The man was arrested on suspicion of carrying a concealed, loaded firearm and possessing a high-capacity magazine, the sheriff's office said.
According to officials, the Riverside County sheriff's office deputies stopped a 49-year-old man in his black SUV and made an arrest without incident.
"The incident did not affect the safety of former President Trump or attendees of the event," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
Donald Trump is running for the Republican presidential nomination. Last week, he had a rally in Coachella Valley, one of those areas famous for an annual music and arts festival.
According to the sheriff's office, the suspect in custody is Vem M. of Las Vegas.
What we do know is that he came in with several passports with aliases, an unregistered vehicle with a phony license plate, and loaded firearms, said Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco at a news conference.
"I truly do believe that we prevented another assassination attempt," Bianco added, although he admitted that belief was based on "speculation."
Jail records indicate that Saturday he was bailed out for $5,000 (€4,573), and online records indicate that he is scheduled to appear in court on January 2, 2025.
There have been two attempts at assassinating Trump this year already.
The most violent attempted assassination was in a campaign rally in 2024 when two people were killed-one of them being the would-be assassin-and left an injury mark on Trump's ear.
Another shot occurred in September 2024 at Trump International Golf Club in Florida.
According to the US Secret Service, the Florida shooter had never gotten a direct view of Trump since they had spotted him while scouting ahead of Trump on the course.
In the July attempt, the shooter was shot dead by law enforcement officers during a return of fire.
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