A MAVEN hotel maid is being hailed as a hero for preventing a “Vegas style” massacre close to a MLB All-Star Game in Denver, as four have been arrested in relation to the plot.
According to local reports, the maid tipped off cops after uncovering more than a dozen weapons and 1,000 rounds of ammunition at a hotel near Coors Field on Friday.
According to ABC11 Denver reports, the weapons were found inside a room on the eighth floor of the Maven Hotel, as All-Star Game celebrations got underway.
The Maven sits just two blocks from the mile-high ballpark that is hosting the Midsummer Classic on Tuesday.
Law enforcement doesn’t believe the All-Star Game was the specific target.
However, the festivities around baseball’s Midsummer Classic are bringing thousands of people from across the country to downtown Denver – crowds which are thought to provide a motive.
Police rushed to the hotel to remove 16 long guns, body armor, and ammo from the room, which had a balcony overlooking Denver’s downtown, the outlet reported.
Heading a press conference on Sunday, Police chief Paul Pazen said officers had obtained two search warrants for two separate rooms in the hotel.
Pazen said police recognized the community concern and wanted to share that investigators were working “tirelessly” to get to the bottom of the plot.
“We’re opening Denver back up for business,” he said.
“We have the great fortune of having the All Star game in our beautiful city, and we want to reassure folks that all aspects of the safety department…we have a very detailed and comprehensive plan to ensure the safety of our community members.”
Pazen went on to thank the hotel worker for doing the “right thing”.
“The investigation and arrests were the result of a tip from the public, serving as an excellent example of the critical role the community plays in public safety,” police said in a statement Saturday night.
Witnesses reported seeing a SWAT team at the scene, while the surrounding streets were closed to the public.
A member of the public told the Denver Channel they saw a car being loaded on a flatbed, while another said Denver Chief of Police Paul Pazen was one of the law enforcement officials investigating the scene at the hotel.
Officers arrested three men and a woman, all of whom were charged with weapons possession in connection with the stash.
According to local reports, Richard Platt, 42, was arrested in relation to weapons offences, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute (two counts), and a warrant from another jurisdiction.
Gabriel Rodriguez, 48, was arrested for investigation of possession of a weapon by a previous offender and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
The third male offender was Ricardo Rodriguez, 44, who was also arrested in relation to weapons offences.
Kanoelehua Serikawa, 43, was also arrested for investigation of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, and a warrant from another jurisdiction.
Three of the suspects were previous offenders.
One suspect, who was a recent divorcee, had posted a cryptic Facebook message saying he would “go out in a big way”, sources told ABC11 Denver.
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