Would-be shooter reached for policeman’s gun during candidate rally
A British man is facing up to 10 years in prison after attempting to wrestle a gun from a US police officer in order to shoot Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump.
Michael Steven Sandford, who has been described as a 19-year-old British national, was arrested on Saturday 18th June at the Treasure Island hotel in Las Vegas.
He had reportedly told a Secret Service agent that he had travelled from California with the goal of shooting Trump, adding to investigators that if he were ‘on the street tomorrow’ he would attempt it all again.
“Sandford claimed he had been attempting to kill Trump for about a year but decided to act on this occasion because he finally felt confident about trying it,” the court papers said.
Court records also showed Sandford, who was in possession of a British driving license at the time of his arrest, had visited a gun range less than a week prior to the attempted assassination.
He had called at Battlefield Vegas to practice shooting, adding that he had never fired a gun before. It was there that he fired 20 rounds from a Glock 9 mm handgun, the records added.
Sandford has now been charged with committing an act of violence on restricted grounds. He has not entered a plea and is scheduled to be in court for a preliminary hearing on 5th July.
A spokesperson for Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirmed they were working with US authorities following the incident.
“We are providing assistance following the arrest of a British national in Las Vegas,” a statement read.
Documents showed that Sandford had been living in the United States for a year and a half, residing in Hoboken, New Jersey.
