Man arrested with guns outside Trump rally sues Riverside County sheriff for defamation
The man who was arrested outside a Trump rally in Coachella for bringing two loaded guns to the event sued the Riverside County sheriff this week, alleging law enforcement officials defamed him and violated his rights.
Vem Miller, 49, was arrested on gun charges Saturday after police found a loaded pistol and shotgun in his car. At a news conference that day, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said that his deputies had “probably” stopped a third assassination attempt on the former president.
In the aftermath of the arrest, however, investigators said they hadn’t found any evidence that Miller was planning to shoot former President Trump.
“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,” wrote Miller’s lawyer, Sigal Chattah, in the lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in Nevada.
Miller has repeatedly denied having any intention of harming the former president, including in an interview with The Times. The L.A. native said he is a fan of the former president and carries the weapons in his car for self-defense.
Deputies arrested a man with guns, fake IDs and license plates in what a sheriff calls a thwarted assassination plot near a Trump rally in Coachella.
Bianco said at a Sunday news conference that officers also found fake passports and fake IDs in the car and that the car had fake license plates.
The lawsuit called the allegations against Miller preposterous.
The suit asserted claims of defamation, deprivation of rights and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Miller was booked in Riverside and released on $5,000 bail.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department didn’t responded immediately to a request for comment on Miller’s lawsuit. In a text message, Bianco said, “Probably the fastest lawsuit in history. Almost like it was already intended and prepared.”
In texts to The Times on Tuesday, Bianco seemed to walk back some of his statements about Miller.
“Three days later, IF everything Mr. Miller has said is true, and I really hope it is, then he probably wasn’t there to hurt former President Trump,” Bianco said. “I definitely said it and can’t change that.”
Bianco said he made the comments at the time of the arrest based on finding a fake passport and fake IDs in Miller’s car, as well as Miller’s use of a fake license plate. Bianco said it is still not clear whether Miller intended to assassinate Trump.
“There is no way for us to know for sure. That is up to further investigation, if any, from the FBI,” he said.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
