
A man found illegally in possession of a shotgun and a loaded handgun was arrested by sheriff鈥檚 deputies assigned to protect a Donald Trump rally in Coachella, California, the Riverside County sheriff鈥檚 office announced Sunday.
The Secret Service said that it was aware of the arrest and that neither Trump nor rally attendees had not been in any danger during the incident, which took place on Saturday.
鈥榃hile no federal arrest has been made at this time, the investigation is ongoing,鈥� the organisation tasked with protecting presidents and presidential candidates said in a joint statement with the FBI and the US Attorney鈥檚 office.
The sheriff鈥檚 team said the man, which it identified as 49-year-old Vem Miller of Las Vegas, was later released on bail and faces a court hearing on January 2.
They added that the deputies, manning a checkpoint near the rally, arrested Miller as he drove up in a black SUV.
They later booked him at a local detention centre on charges of possessing a loaded firearm and a high-capacity magazine.
The incident comes on the heels of two assassination attempts -- one in Pennsylvania in which a bullet grazed Trump鈥檚 ear, and a second, aborted attempt at his Florida golf course.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco -- a Trump supporter who also addressed the Republican鈥檚 rally in Coachella on Saturday -- said that there was 鈥榓bsolutely no way that any of us are going to truly know what was in his head.鈥�
鈥業f you鈥檙e asking me right now, I probably did have deputies that prevented the third assassination attempt,鈥� Bianco, a former member of the far-right Oath Keepers group, told a press conference.
Bianco said the man had 鈥榤ultiple鈥� passports and IDs with different names in his vehicle, which was unregistered. He said any further charges would come from federal authorities.
There was no immediate comment from the Trump campaign.
Trump鈥檚 decision to hold a rally in California surprised political analysts, who note that the state is heavily Democratic, but he drew a large crowd, even in temperatures near 100 Fahrenheit (38 Celsius).
Coachella is known for its annual music festival.