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Man Arrested At Rally Wanted To 'Shoot And Kill' Trump, Authorities Say

Police remove a protester, later identified as Michael Steven Sandford, who wanted to shoot Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, at the Treasure Island hotel and casino on Saturday in Las Vegas during a Trump rally.
John Locher
/
AP
Police remove a protester, later identified as Michael Steven Sandford, who wanted to shoot Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, at the Treasure Island hotel and casino on Saturday in Las Vegas during a Trump rally.

A man who was arrested at a Donald Trump rally in Las Vegas on Saturday after reportedly trying to grab a police officer's gun intended to "shoot and kill" the Republican presidential nominee, according to court documents released on Monday.

Michael Steven Sandford told a Secret Service agent after his arrest that he had traveled to Las Vegas on Friday from California and then gone to a Las Vegas shooting range on Saturday to learn how to shoot a gun. A complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas also shows that Sandford told the agent that he expected to be killed by law enforcement in the act.

Sandford had a U.K. driver's license on him when he was arrested.

Attendees to Trump rallies have to undergo screening by the U.S. Secret Service, including a magnetometer to detect any possible weapons. Sandford was charged with attempting to commit an act of violence on restricted grounds.

Trump first requested Secret Service protection in October and was granted it in November.

The most visible threat to Trump so far during this campaign came in March. Agents had to surround the candidate during an appearance in Dayton, Ohio, when a man rushed the stage.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Arnie Seipel is the Deputy Washington Editor for NPR. He oversees daily news coverage of politics and the inner workings of the federal government. Prior to this role, he edited politics coverage for seven years, leading NPR's reporting on the 2016, 2018 and 2020 elections. In between campaigns, Seipel edited coverage of Congress and the White House, and he coordinated coverage of major events including State of the Union addresses, Supreme Court confirmations and congressional hearings.