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The Associated Press reported the caller warned police about a possible shooting at the 2,000-seat Dogwood Dell Amphitheater during a July Fourth fireworks show. Richmond Police Chief Gerald Smith thanked the tipster and said he worried about what would have happened if officers hadn't been alerted.
“One phone call saved numerous lives on the Fourth of July,” Smith said at a news conference, according to the AP.
Police arrested Julio Alvarado-Dubon, 52, on July 1, hours after they received the tip, the report said. They also began surveilling Rolman Alberto Balacarcel, 38, that same day. They arrested him on Tuesday, July 5, the AP reported.
Both men are Guatemalan nationals in the United States illegally, Richmond police said. It's unclear why they wanted to shoot up the annual fireworks show.
Investigators seized two rifles, a handgun, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition from the men's Richmond home last week.
Authorities were holding Alvarado-Dubon on a $15,000 bond, officials said. The men are charged with being non-U.S. citizens in possession of a firearm, the AP reported.
The fireworks celebration at Dogwood Dell Amphitheater went on as scheduled without incident.
"We had a very robust plan. We were keeping an eye on it. I won't give the details out of what we were doing, but I can tell you that the majority of our police department was working on the fourth," police chief Smith said, according to the AP. "We knew and we can see what's happening around the country. It was just not only Dogwood Dell that we had a concern about. But we also had concerns about the Diamond and the baseball game as well, too. Let me be very blunt: This is where these cowards go. Wherever we gather, that's where they want to be."
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