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Man with loaded gun arrested at checkpoint near Trump rally in Coachella
Utah

Man with loaded gun arrested at checkpoint near Trump rally in Coachella

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Nevada man with a shotgun, a loaded handgun, ammunition and several fake passports in his vehicle was arrested at a security checkpoint outside Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday evening in the Southern California desert, authorities said. He was released the same day on $5,000 bail.

The suspect, a 49-year-old Las Vegas resident, was driving an unregistered black SUV with a “homemade” license plate that was stopped by officers at the rally in Coachella, east of Los Angeles, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said at a news conference on Sunday afternoon.

The driver said he was a journalist, but it was unclear whether he had the relevant qualifications. Officers found the vehicle’s interior “in disarray,” and a search uncovered weapons and ammunition as well as multiple passports and driver’s licenses with different names, Bianco said.

The man was arrested on suspicion of possession of a loaded firearm and possession of a high-capacity magazine, the agency said in a statement.

“This incident had no impact on the safety of former President Trump or those attending the event,” Saturday’s statement said. Trump had not yet arrived at the rally at the time of the arrest, the sheriff said on Sunday.

According to online records, the suspect is scheduled to appear in court on January 2, 2025.

Bianco declined to speculate on the suspect’s motives or state of mind. “We know we prevented something bad from happening, and it didn’t matter what the bad thing would be,” Bianco said.

The man made it past an exterior security perimeter and was stopped at an interior area patrolled by the sheriff’s department, Bianco said. Another security check closer to the rally site was operated by the secret service.

“The U.S. Secret Service believes the incident had no impact on protective measures and former President Trump was not in danger,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement on Sunday. “Although there has been no federal arrest at this time, the investigation remains ongoing.”

Members of the media, as well as VIP ticket holders, were directed through a series 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 every vehicle from a K-9 officer was searched. Other general admission ticket holders were directed to a location about 5 kilometers from the rally, where they boarded buses and were driven to the location.

Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the arrest.

After two recent assassination attempts, security at Trump rallies is very tight. Last month, a man was charged with attempted assassination after authorities said he was conducting surveillance on the former president for 12 hours And wrote about his desire to kill him. The arrest in Florida came two months later Trump was shot and injured in the ear in an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

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