Potential ‘Las Vegas-style shooting’ at MLB All-Star Game thwarted

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• A hotel employee alerted authorities on Sunday after discovering a cache of weapons inside a room at a Denver hotel.
• Police found 16 long guns, body armor and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition in the room, which has a balcony that overlooks the downtown area.
• The tip may have thwarted what could have been a “Las Vegas-style shooting” at the upcoming MLB All-Star Game in Denver.

Three men and one woman were arrested at the Maven Hotel in Denver on Friday night after a hotel housekeeper tipped off the police to a large stash of guns and ammo in an 8th-floor room. The hotel is near Coors Field, where the MLB All-Star Game is being held next week.

Channel 7 in Denver reported that the tip from the hotel employee, combined with other factors, caused the police fear that there could be a mass shooting event during the festivities next week. 

Sources said police removed 16 long guns, body armor and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition from the room which featured a balcony overlooking the downtown area, according to thedenverchannel.com. The sources said they feared the number of weapons, ammo, vantage point and large crowds could have resulted in a “Las Vegas style shooting.”

Police and SWAT were called in to apprehend the suspects, and they also impounded two cars.

Three of the four suspects were also charged with drug offenses. According to Channel 7, one of them recently posted an alarming message on Facebook.

One of the suspects arrested Friday night had posted a message on Facebook referencing a recent divorce and saying he was going to ‘go out in a big way,’ according to the multiple law enforcement sources.

Despite the presence of an enormous amount of guns and ammunition in a hotel room just one block from Coors Field, an FBI spokesperson said Sunday that they have no reason to believe they posed a threat to All-Star Week.

“We are not aware of any threat to the All-Star Game events, venues, players, or the community at this time,” the spokesperson said in a statement to the Denver Post.

Denver Police refused to provide any additional information about the reports that they feared a “Las Vegas style shooting,” and would not give any details on the reported Facebook message from one of the suspects.

“We are working with our local and federal law enforcement partners on this investigation and continue to ask the public if they see something — say something,” a police spokeswoman said in a statement, via the Denver Post.

Source: AOL