DENVER — Denver city officials assured the public that All-Star Game events are safe, and police are not aware of any ongoing threats from Friday’s incident at the Maven Hotel in Denver.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen and the executive director of Denver's Department of Public Safety, Murphy Robinson, all shared that same message during a press conference Sunday.
The press conference was in response to growing concern surrounding the alleged motives of four suspects arrested Friday night on weapons and drug chargesat the Maven Hotel in Denver’s LoDo neighborhood.
“We want to reassure everyone that there is no ongoing threat, and that it is safe to enjoy the festivities throughout downtown Denver,” Mayor Hancock said. "Our police department moved in and abated a pretty serious situation. And I want to thank them for their tremendous work that they did on Friday."
Three men and one woman — Richard Platt, 42, Gabriel Rodriguez, 48, Ricardo Rodriguez, 44, and Kanoelehua Serikawa, 43 — were taken into custody during an execution of a search warrant after a housekeeper discovered more than a dozen weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition inside one of two rooms on the eighth floor of the hotel.
Multiple informed law enforcement sources connected with the investigation told Denver7’s Liz Gelardi and Denver7 chief investigative reporter Tony Kovaleski that police removed 16 long guns, body armor and hundreds of rounds of ammunition from the room which featured a balcony overlooking the downtown area. The sources said they feared the number of weapons, ammo, vantage point and large crowds could have resulted in a "Las Vegas-style shooting."
Chief Pazen said “a significant amount” of narcotics was also seized during the operation, but stopped short of revealing any possible motive. He said they are not discounting any avenues in the investigation.
"To the extent possible, why individuals were here in the first place? Why proximity to downtown? And we don't have those answers. What I can say is that, through the great work of the staff at the Maven, and the great work by our officers, that this is a safer city. Taking guns off the street, taking narcotics off the street is a good thing for the people of Denver," Pazen said.
Denver police are working with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, which released a statement Sunday, saying they are not aware of any threats to the All-Star Game and have no reason to believe Friday's arrests were connected to the event at this time.
"We have no reason to believe this incident was connected to terrorism or a threat directed at the All-Star Game. We are not aware of any threat to the All-Star Game events, venues, players, or the community at this time," the statement read.
The three officials also praised hotel staff for their quick action. The mayor said the Maven Hotel trains their staff for these types of situations.