A 49-year-old man was found in possession of a shotgun, a loaded handgun and a high-capacity magazine outside Donald Trump‘s rally in Coachella, California, police have announced.
Deputies stopped the suspect in a black SUV around 5pm about half a mile from the rally.
Local paper The Press-Enterpise quoted Riverside County Sheriff, Chad Bianco, as saying: “We probably stopped another assassination attempt.”
The US Secret Service said in a statement: “We were contacted as it happened and secret service agents conducted a productive intelligence interview. It had no impact on the event and we are looking into the circumstances and the backgrounds of the individuals.”
Riverside County Sherriff’s Office said in a statement: “On Saturday, October 12, 2024, at 4.59pm, deputies assigned to former President Donald Trump’s rally in the Coachella Valley contacted the driver of a black SUV at a checkpoint at the intersection of Avenue 52 and Celebration Drive.
“[The man] was taken into custody without incident and later booked at the John J. Benoit Detention Center for possession of a loaded firearm and possession of a high-capacity magazine.
“This incident did not impact the safety of former President Trump or attendees of the event.”
In September, a federal grand jury in Florida charged Ryan Wesley Routh with attempting to assassinate Donald Trump.
Routh, 58, allegedly camped outside the former president’s West Palm Beach golf course with a high-powered SKS-style assault rifle, waiting for Trump to pass by on 15 September.
The incident came after a gunman fired on the former president with an AR-15-style rifle at a rally in Pennsylvania in July, grazing his ear.
