A 49-year-old man, Vem Miller, who was apprehended outside a Trump rally in Coachella for possessing two loaded firearms, has initiated a lawsuit against the Riverside County sheriff, alleging that law enforcement officials have tarnished his reputation and infringed upon his rights.
According to American Military News, Miller was taken into custody on gun-related charges last Saturday when police discovered a loaded pistol and shotgun in his vehicle. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, during a press conference on the same day, suggested that his deputies had "probably" thwarted a third assassination attempt on the former president.
However, in the wake of the arrest, investigators stated they had not uncovered any evidence to suggest that Miller had intentions of shooting the ex-president, Donald Trump. Miller's attorney, Sigal Chattah, in the lawsuit filed on Tuesday in a federal court in Nevada, wrote, "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."
Miller, a Los Angeles native, has consistently refuted any claims of intending to harm the former president. In a conversation with the Los Angeles Times, he expressed his admiration for Trump and stated that he carries the weapons in his vehicle for self-defense purposes.
During a Sunday press conference, Bianco revealed that officers also discovered counterfeit passports and identification cards in Miller's vehicle, which also bore fake license plates. The lawsuit, however, dismissed the allegations against Miller as absurd, asserting claims of defamation, deprivation of rights, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Following his arrest, Miller was detained in Riverside and later released on a $5,000 bail. The Riverside County Sheriffs Department has yet to respond to Miller's lawsuit. Bianco, in a text message, commented, Probably the fastest lawsuit in history. Almost like it was already intended and prepared.
In a series of text messages to the Times on Tuesday, Bianco appeared to retract some of his previous statements about Miller. "Three days later, IF everything Mr. Miller has said is true, and I really hope it is, then he probably wasnt there to hurt former President Trump, Bianco stated. I definitely said it and cant change that.
Bianco explained that his initial comments were based on the discovery of a fake passport and counterfeit IDs in Miller's car, as well as Miller's use of a fake license plate. However, Bianco admitted that it remains uncertain whether Miller had plans 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 added. This case underscores the ongoing tension between individual rights and public safety, a topic that continues to fuel debates across the nation.
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