Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks in Las Vegas on June 18, 2016. (AP Photo/John Locher)
DEVELOPING: Federal authorities confirmed a man was arrested at a campaign rally in Las Vegas on Saturday for attempting to kill Donald Trump. According to authorities and court documents the man tried to grab an officer’s gun, saying he wanted to assassinate the Republican candidate.
A complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Nevada charges Michael Steven Sandford with an act of violence on restricted grounds.
The complaint said Sandford, who had a United Kingdom driver’s license on him , went to a Trump rally at the Treasure Island Casino and approached a Las Vegas police officer to say he wanted an autograph from Mr. Trump. However, Sandford grabbed the handle of an officer’s gun in an attempt to remove it.
He told a special agent that he was in the U.S. for about a year and a half and lived in Hoboken, New Jersey, then drove to the San Bernardino, California area in his car before coming to Las Vegas on June 16. he went to the Battlefield Vegas shooting range the day before the rally and fired 20 rounds from a 9mm Glock pistol to learn how to use it. Employees confirmed his claim.
He’s expected to appear in court on Monday afternoon.
