(LOS ANGELES) – A man allegedly armed with a pistol was arrested after he was seen taking photos and videos of the Trump National Golf Club grounds in Los Angeles County over the weekend, authorities announced on Tuesday.
Following his arrest, detectives found more firearms and “multiple notebooks containing concerning statements” at the suspect’s residence, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The suspect was identified as 38-year-old Jeanine John Taele of Downey, California. Taele is being held on $250,000 bond and is expected to appear in court on Aug. 26.
Taele is charged in a federal criminal complaint with possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle, a felony carrying a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
“While we are still investigating the motives of this individual, we are thankful he was apprehended before the President’s visit,” Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney, said in a statement. “Federal and local law enforcement stepped in early and prevented what could have been a dangerous situation from occurring. This investigation remains ongoing.”
The golf club incident occurred on Sunday, the sheriff’s department said, a day before it was announced that President Donald Trump is set to visit the Rancho Palos Verdes property this week for a Republican National Committee dinner.
Deputies responded to the golf course Sunday afternoon after plainclothes federal agents reported a “suspicious individual” who was seen walking on the grounds, taking photos and videos and “appearing to monitor security-planning activities,” the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a release on Tuesday.
Deputies detained the suspect, later identified as Taele, and located his vehicle in the golf club’s parking lot, the sheriff’s department said.
Deputies recovered a 16-round magazine containing hollow-point ammunition from his pants pocket, as well as a loaded pistol with a round chambered and an additional loaded magazine containing hollow-point ammunition from his vehicle, authorities said.
Taele was arrested for carrying a concealed firearm and possession of armor-piercing/prohibited ammunition, the sheriff’s department said.
Detectives executed a search warrant at Taele’s residence Monday afternoon due to the “potential security implications surrounding the incident” and recovered more firearms and ammunition, as well as “multiple notebooks containing concerning statements,” body armor and two radio signal devices, the sheriff’s department said. It did not elaborate on what was allegedly found in the notebooks.
Taele remains in custody, authorities said. Investigators presented the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office earlier Tuesday for filing consideration.
The incident remains under investigation in coordination with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the United States Secret Service, the sheriff’s department said. Authorities have “identified no credible threat to our communities,” it said.
Trump is planning to attend an RNC dinner at his Rancho Palos Verdes golf club Tuesday evening, where he is set to deliver an economics-focused speech, according to the White House.
Last year, a jury found a man guilty of trying to assassinate Trump at his Florida golf course. Prosecutors said Ryan Routh hid in the bushes of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach and pointed a military-grade SKS rifle towards Trump and a Secret Service agent. Routh was sentenced earlier this year to life in prison.
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