CLOSE CALL

‘Hero Citizen’ Tipped Cops Off to July 4 Mass Shooting Plot in Virginia

Police said they arrested two roommates after finding a couple of assault rifles, one handgun, and 223 rounds of ammunition in their home.

Police in Richmond, Virginia, announced Wednesday morning that a “hero citizen” helped them prevent a potential mass shooting planned for July 4.

Police Chief Gerald Smith said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon that officers received a tip on July 1 from someone who’d overheard a conversation about a mass shooting being planned for the city’s July 4 celebration at the Dogwood Dell, an amphitheater in a park.

Police, along with Homeland Security agents and a special investigations team, entered a home later that same day and found two assault rifles, one handgun, and 223 rounds of ammunition in “plain view,” according to Smith.

They then arrested Julio Alvarado-Dubon, 52, and charged him with being a non-U.S. citizen in possession of a firearm.

Officers did not, Smith said, have probable cause to arrest a second suspect, 38-year-old Rolman Balacarcel, at the time, but closely surveilled him over the long weekend.

On July 5, Balacarcel was also arrested and now faces the same charge. According to Smith, the two suspects were roommates.

Smith said that “their intent was to conduct a mass shooting,” but that officers do not have a clear motive at this time.