Man Arrested at Trump Rally Sues Sheriff for Alleged Civil Rights Violations
A 49-year-old Las Vegas man arrested at the GOP presidential rally for candidate Donald Trump in Coachella over the weekend, allegedly with guns and false identification in his vehicle, is federally suing Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and some deputies for alleged civil rights violations.
Vem Miller filed his civil action in Nevada, alleging defamation and stating in court papers 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."
Bianco did not immediately issue a personal public statement regarding the suit, but he told the Los Angeles Times in a text message Tuesday that "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."
The sheriff's department on Wednesday released the following: "We acknowledge the lawsuit filed against the Riverside County Sheriff's Office and take such matters seriously. However, as it is pending litigation, we cannot comment on the specifics at this time. We are committed to transparency and will cooperate fully with the legal process. Our priority remains the safety and well-being of the community we serve."
Miller's suit is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
He was taken into custody Saturday afternoon prior to Trump arriving for the Coachella Valley event, which Bianco attended in a public show of support for the former commander-in-chief.
Bianco alleged that Miller, who is a registered Republican and active in the Clark County Republican Party's Central Committee, drove into the VIP parking lot near the stage carrying a loaded handgun and shotgun. Miller has stated publicly that he often carries firearms for protection. He told one social media influencer earlier this week that he was the one who declared the guns prior to deputies flagging him for questioning.
That version of events contrasted with what Bianco said in a news briefing over the weekend, telling reporters that a deputy noticed "the interior of (the suspect's) vehicle in disarray (and what appeared to be) a fake license plate," prompting deputies to detain Miller and conduct further investigation.
"The license plate was homemade and indicative of individuals who claim to be sovereign citizens," Bianco said, suggesting there were concerns Miller might be some kind of militiaman. The sheriff also alleged there were "multiple fake passports" in the suspect's pickup.
"As far as I'm concerned, a minimum of 25,000 people passed deputies with legitimate identification and didn't have guns," Bianco said. "I probably did have deputies that prevented the third assassination attempt. I truly do believe that we prevented another assassination attempt."
The U.S. Secret Service and FBI found no justification for an investigation into a possible attempted assassination.
Bianco told Dan Abrams Live that he couldn't speak to the federal agencies' decisions, but "of course (Miller) is going to say he didn't do anything and he wouldn't have done anything, but it still doesn't change the fact that we had to contact him for what we contacted him for, and he was in an inner (security) perimeter with weapons, and he was arrested for those weapons violations."
Miller was booked into the Benoit Detention Center in Indio on suspicion of illegal possession of a loaded firearm and carrying a large capacity magazine in violation of state law. He posted $5,000 bail and was released Saturday night.
Miller's civil complaint asserts that he was "actually provided expedited special entry passes by the Trump 47 campaign directly."
"The (deputies') actions were contrary to proper police practices," the plaintiff's filing states. "Riverside police practices were diametrically opposed to proper police procedures, out of sync with the rest of the police profession, malicious and plainly unconstitutional. Police engaged in deliberate and wrongful conduct and compromised police protocol, violating Miller's constitutional rights for the purpose of promoting and engaging in a merit-less and gratuitous sensational story."
