UPDATED: 5:50 p.m.
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Two armed men from Virginia have been charged with gun offenses after they were arrested Thursday night outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, where the ballot count is still ongoing. Protesters from both parties have gathered outside the building in huge crowds since election night.
Philly police received a tip from the FBI in Norfolk, Virginia, that two armed men in a silver Hummer were en route from Virginia Beach to Philadelphia. That tip was blasted across police radio.
Just before 10:30 p.m., some Philly officers found the Hummer parked along 13th Street, between Race and Vine streets.
Moments later, two bike officers saw the two armed men at 12th and Arch streets: 42-year-old Joshua Macias and 61-year-old Antonio Lamotta.
Lamotta was carrying a Beretta 9mm in a holster on his hip, and Macias had a handgun in his jacket. Neither had a permit to carry in Pennsylvania.
“There is no question: We are bringing weapons offenses in light of the illegal possession on the street in Philadelphia of guns in which the possessors didn’t have the right to carry,” said Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner. His office is working with Philly police, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“There is a question and there is the possibility that we may also bring a criminal charge, one or more, under the election code,” he added.
Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said officers received written consent to search the car, where they found an AR-style rifle.
“I can tell you also that the AR-style weapon had no serial number,” added Krasner, “that there was ammunition both in the vehicle and in the weapons.”
Authorities found 160 rounds of ammunition in the car, which had a rear-window “Q” sticker — similar to the symbol for the extremist group QAnon. The group has pushed far-right conspiracy theories.
Authorities do not yet know if the sticker is in fact connected to the extremist group.
However, Krasner said he doesn’t believe the two men were part of a bigger organized or planned attack.
“Deciding to come to Philadelphia at a particular time for a somewhat unknown purpose, obviously we take this very seriously, but we do not think exaggerating this is constructive,” he said. “At this time, we do not have an indication that the story is bigger than these two individuals.”
The investigation is ongoing.