Police in the US have arrested a man after he was found with guns and ammunition in his vehicle, stopped near a Donald Trump rally in Coachella Valley. Picture: Peter Zay / AFP
A 49-year-old Las Vegas resident was arrested after he was found with weapons near a rally where Donald Trump was due to speak.
Riverside County Sheriff's Sergeant Ben Medina said the driver of a black SUV was stopped at a vehicle checkpoint at the intersection of Avenue 52 and Celebration Drive, in the Coachella Valley just before 5pm on Saturday.
He said the man, identified as Vem Miller, was found with a shotgun, a loaded handgun and a high-capacity magazine.
"Miller was taken into custody and later booked at the John J. Benoit Detention Centre for firearm and ammunition possession. This incident did not impact the safety of former President Trump or attendees of the event," Medina said.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said his deputies probably stopped a third assassination attempt.
The Secret Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are investigating further.
The 58-year-old faces up to 20 years imprisonment on gun-related charges and a longer prison stay based on more serious charges.
In July, Trump was shot and wounded in his right ear after he was shot at while speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania. One person was killed and two others were wounded after Thomas Matthew Crooks fired eight rounds towards Trump.
Crooks was killed by the Secret Service's Counter Sniper team.
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