Man arrested at Trump rally threatens to sue Riverside County sheriff

Presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to his supporters during a rally at Calhoun Ranch in Coachella on Saturday.

Oct. 14, 2024 Updated 3:52 PM PT

The suspect arrested with two loaded guns outside a Trump rally in Coachella over the weekend said he planned to sue Riverside County after the sheriff claimed his deputies stopped the man from attempting to assassinate the former president.

Vem Miller, 49, of Los Angeles told The Times in a phone interview Monday that he brought his two weapons to the rally for self-protection, saying he has received death threats in response to work he has done for his media company, the America Happens Network. He said that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco made false claims about him at a news conference over the weekend.

“Everything they said about me is untrue, provably so,” Miller told The Times. “Unfortunately, he appears to have committed career suicide.”

Miller added that he had lawyers preparing a “massive lawsuit” against the county. “As of right this second, I could prove everything they said is untrue. It’s just going to be bad. … That sheriff is going to lose his job.”

Bianco told reporters Sunday that his deputies “probably stopped another assassination attempt.”

But authorities investigating the armed man arrested Saturday outside a Trump rally in Coachella have found no evidence so far that he was planning to try to kill Trump.

Federal officials continue to investigate, but Miller remains free awaiting further court proceedings. Sources say the focus so far remains on the gun possession charge that led to his arrest on Saturday.

Miller told The Times he merely received a ticket.

Miller, an L.A. native, was booked at the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio on suspicion of possessing loaded firearms, Riverside County sheriff’s officials said. He has since been released on bail pending a court appearance.

Deputies found the guns after searching Miller’s black SUV at a checkpoint at 52nd Avenue and Celebration Drive in Coachella about 5 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.

At a news conference Sunday, Bianco said his deputies had likely thwarted an assassination attempt, although he acknowledged “there is absolutely no way any of us are going to truly know what’s in [the suspect’s] head.”

But sources who spoke to The Times on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly said they had uncovered no evidence showing Miller intended to harm the former president. They stressed that the investigation remained ongoing and more facts could come in.

Asked whether he was speculating by branding Miller a would-be assassin, Bianco said it was “common sense” to suspect that someone carrying guns and fake identification to a political rally intended to hurt people. But the sheriff offered no evidence of an assassination plot.

Miller told The Times he supported Trump and had no intentions to harm him.

“In observance of my 1st Amendment rights, I carry firearms in my truck,” he said.

Miller told The Times that he identifies mostly as a libertarian, though he supported former Democratic President Obama in the past. He opposed Republican George W. Bush and many of his policies, including the Patriot Act and the Iraq war. Around 2015, Miller said, he became disillusioned with Obama and began supporting Trump.

“I liked that he was taking on a lot of these consistent powers that drive us into unnecessary wars and unnecessary debt,” he said.

Miller said he was in Coachella to cover the rally as a journalist.

The Secret Service released a statement Sunday afternoon stating the former president was not in danger.

“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 statement said. “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.”

According to Bianco, Miller had driven his SUV through an outer perimeter maintained by sheriff’s deputies before he was questioned at a checkpoint closer to the rally entrance. Miller claimed to have credentials to attend the rally both as a journalist and VIP guest but couldn’t produce any documents.

The deputy questioning Miller noticed what Bianco called “many irregularities” with his SUV: The license plate was phony, the vehicle was unregistered and the interior was “in disarray,” the sheriff said.

A search of the SUV turned up fake passports and driver’s licenses with different names as well as guns and ammunition, Bianco said.

Bianco said he was identifying the suspect as Miller “with an asterisk” because he possessed identification with multiple names. The suspect stated his name was Vem Miller, according to the sheriff.

The homemade license plate was “indicative of individuals claiming to be sovereign citizens,” Bianco said, referring to an ideology whose followers do not consider government authorities to be legitimate. Bianco called it irrelevant that most sovereign citizens subscribe to far-right beliefs.

Miller’s social media also appeared to show his support for Trump.

“I am willing to fight non stop with everything I have for the next 4 years to help this country and this man,” he wrote on Instagram after the Pennsylvania assassination attempt at a Trump rally. Along with the comment he posted a photo of Trump raising his fist with blood on his ear.

Miller also posted photos with various Republican politicians and celebrities, including Donald Trump Jr. and Stephen Miller, a Trump advisor.

Miller said on his website that he went to UCLA, where he studied English and creative writing while also taking film classes.

“I create content for TV, Film, Documentaries, Music Videos, Podcasts and other forms of Media Production. I am actively involved in politics and work with candidates across all platforms to support those who are wanting to make positive change,” he wrote on his site.

Miller worked in Hollywood for years, directing music videos for John Mayer, Trey Songz and other artists. He is credited as a director of the video for the DMX rap classic “Where the Hood At?”

A friend who worked with Miller for the advocacy group America Happens also claimed Miller had no intent to kill the former president.

“There isn’t a universe his intention was to kill Trump, he’s worked too hard in this movement to expose the Deep State and all the people against him,” Mindy Robinson wrote on X.

“As a pro-2A advocate, ask me if I give a s— about a good guy with a gun in an unsafe s—hole like California. It doesn’t even make sense why his passes would be fake either when we’re both usually invited as media to these things.”

In a strange federal court filing against his ex-wife, Miller claimed that she kidnapped his children and took them to the United Kingdom.

Miller, who was working in Canada at the time, claimed that a Canadian judge and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau worked to prevent Miller from getting his children back.

“PM Trudeau was also involved in my case, and helped prevent any form of justice within the Canadian courts,” Miller wrote.