A man has attempted to assassinate presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at one of his rallies in Las Vegas, according to a federal complaint.
The suspect identified as Michael Steven Sandford, 19, was arrested Saturday at Treasure Island after trying to grab at the holster and handle of a gun of a Las Vegas police officer.
Sandford, who had a UK driver’s license, said he had been plotting to kill Trump for about a year and that he thought the business mogul could be killed by one or two rounds before officers kill him for his act.
He told a US Secret Service agent that he had driven to Las Vegas from California on Thursday to kill Trump, according to the complaint filed on Monday.
He also said that he even went to a Las Vegas gun range on Friday in order to learn how to fire a gun, noting he fired almost 20 rounds from a 9 millimeter Glock pistol, the complaint said, adding he had never fired a gun before.
Sanford said, during the rally, he thought he saw the officer’s gun unlocked, adding he figured acquiring a gun this way would be the easiest, the complaint alleged.
Sandford “knowingly attempted to engage in an act of physical violence against Donald J. Trump ... by attempting to seize a firearm from Las Vegas Metropolitan Department Officer,” according to the complaint.
He also said that he had bought tickets for another rally in Phoenix, Arizona, later that day, in order to kill Trump, if the first attempt had been unsuccessful.
A man arrested at a Donald Trump rally in Las Vegas told authorities he tried to grab an officer's gun so he could kill the candidate, according to federal authorities.
A complaint filed Monday in US District Court in Nevada charges Michael Steven Sandford with an act of violence on restricted grounds. He's expected to appear in court on Monday afternoon.
Authorities said Sandford went to a Trump rally on Saturday at the Treasure Island Casino and approached a Las Vegas police officer to say he wanted an autograph from Trump. The report says Sandford grabbed the handle of an officer's gun in an attempt to remove it, and was arrested.
It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney. Las Vegas police say Sandford is 19.
Sandford told officers he had been planning an assassination for about a year and was convinced he would die in the attempt. He said he also reserved a ticket for a Trump rally in Phoenix, scheduled for later in the day, as a backup.Sandford had a United Kingdom driver's license with him at the time, according to the complaint. He told a special agent that he was in the US 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 told authorities that 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. Police detectives who visited the range spoke with an employee who confirmed that he provided Sandford shooting lessons, according to the complaint.
About 1,500 people attended the rally, which was held in the Mystere Theater inside the casino. Attendees had to pass through metal detectors manned by Secret Service, police and casino security officials.
The news comes after Donald Trump's campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, was revealed to be leaving the campaign following a tumultuous stretch marked by missteps and infighting.
In another strange twist, Donald Trump lost another senior staffer only hours after Lewandowski was fired.
Michael Caputo, who was poised to serve as director of communications for the campaign at the GOP convention, resigned after firing off a celebratory tweet following word of Corey Lewandowski's firing.
He tweeted, "Ding dong the witch is dead!" after news of Lewandowski's firing broke. Accompanying the tweet was a photo from the "Wizard of Oz," showing the feet of the Wicked Witch of the East protruding from under a house.
Campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks confirmed Caputo is no longer with the campaign.
Caputo had served as the campaign's state director for the New York primary and as a senior adviser.
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