LOS ANGELES, Oct 14, (AP): A Nevada man with a shotgun, loaded handgun, ammunition and several fake passports in his vehicle was arrested at a security checkpoint outside Donald Trump's rally Saturday night in the Southern California desert, authorities said. He was released the same day on $5,000 bail. The suspect, a 49-year-old resident of Las Vegas, was driving an unregistered black SUV with a "homemade” license plate that was stopped by deputies assigned to the rally in Coachella, east of Los Angeles, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said at a news conference Sunday afternoon.

The driver claimed to be a journalist but it was unclear if he had the proper credentials. Deputies noticed the interior of the vehicle was "in disarray” and a search uncovered the weapons and ammo, along with multiple passports and driver licenses with different names, Bianco said. The man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a loaded firearm and possession of a high-capacity magazine, the department said in a statement.

"This incident did not impact the safety of former president Trump or attendees of the event,” the Saturday statement said. Trump had not yet arrived at the rally at the time of the arrest, the sheriff said Sunday. The suspect is scheduled to appear in court on Jan 2, 2025, according to online records. Bianco declined to speculate about the suspect's motives or frame of mind.

"We know we prevented something bad from happening, and it was irrelevant what that bad was going to be," Bianco said. The man made it past an outer security boundary and was stopped at an inner perimeter patrolled by the sheriff's department, Bianco said. Another security checkpoint closer to the rally site was operated by the Secret Service. "The US Secret Service assesses that the incident did not impact protective operations and former president Trump was not in any danger,” the US Attorney’s Office said in a statement Sunday. "While no federal arrest has been made at this time, the investigation is ongoing.”