The man who was arrested outside Donald Trump’s Coachella rally over the weekend for possessing weapons has sued the local sheriff for defamation, alleging the official made “preposterous allegations” about preventing a possible third assassination attempt against the former president.
Vem Miller, 49, was charged with two misdemeanors for carrying a loaded firearm and a large-capacity magazine after law enforcement searched his black SUV about a half a mile away from the campaign event’s venue. He was subsequently released on bond.
Miller does not face any federal charges from the incident, and the Secret Service assured the public that Trump “was not in any danger” on Saturday. The investigation remains ongoing, federal authorities said.
Miller directly accuses Riverside County sheriff Chad Bianco of taking credit for “probably” preventing a third assassination attempt on Trump’s life.
“It became clear that Bianco, intentionally, maliciously and with a blatant disregard for the truth, wanted to create a narrative so as to be viewed as a ‘heroic’ Sheriff who saved Presidential candidate Trump from a third assassination attempt,” the federal lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in Nevada, states.
Maintaining his innocence, Miller says he had no intention to assassinate the former president. In fact, the man is a Trump-supporting Republican who ran for office in Nevada’s state assembly in 2022.
The complaint alleges Bianco and his officers deprived Miller of his constitutional rights to privacy and protection from unlawful searches and seizures. In addition to making defamatory statements, Bianco and the other defendants are accused of intentionally inflicting emotional distress on the plaintiff. Miller argues he has undergone humiliation and economic loss after authorities arrested him.
On Sunday, authorities said the suspect had fake passports, driver licenses, vehicle plates, and VIP/press passes in addition to a shotgun, Glock 19 handgun, and a high-capacity magazine. Miller says he lawfully purchased both weapons in Nevada, his state of residence.
The lawsuit asks for unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, as well as the termination of the officer who searched Miller’s black SUV and retrieved his personal belongings without probable cause. It demands a trial by jury.
Riverside County, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Bianco, Deputy Coronado, and ten unnamed officers are listed as defendants in the lawsuit. In a statement obtained by National Review, the sheriff’s department declined to comment on the pending litigation.
“We acknowledge the lawsuit filed against the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office and take such matters seriously,” a spokesperson said. “We are committed to transparency and will cooperate fully with the legal process.”
The sheriff doubled down on his public statements about Miller’s involvement in a potential third assassination attempt.
“We do know that he showed up with multiple IDs, an unlicensed, unregistered vehicle with fake plates and weapons and ammunition,” Bianco told NBC Los Angeles on Monday. “In the end, we found the person with all those monstrous red flags and we were able to arrest him on weapons charges and get him away from the facility before the president got there.”
Trump faced two previous assassination attempts this year.
On July 13, Thomas Matthew Crooks fired at Trump during his rally in Butler, Pa., grazing the president’s ear, killing one bystander, and injuring two other attendees. A Secret Service sniper shot and killed Crooks. The incident launched a series of investigations into the Secret Service’s mishandling of Trump’s security, which intensified after the second attempt.
On September 15, Ryan Wesley Routh camped outside the Trump International Golf Club in Palm Beach, Fla., waiting in the bushes with a rifle to shoot the GOP nominee who was playing golf that Sunday afternoon. A Secret Service agent opened fire on the gunman, causing him to flee the scene. Routh was apprehended a short while later. He pleaded not guilty to attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and three federal firearms charges late last month.