Bail set at $750,000 for two Virginia men arrested near Philly vote-counting center on weapons counts

Bail has been set at $750,000 each for two Virginia men authorities said were armed with loaded handguns when they were arrested Thursday in Philadelphia near the Pennsylvania Convention Center, where votes were being counted.

Joshua Macias, 42, and Antonio LaMotta, 61, traveled from the Virginia Beach area in a Hummer and did not have permits to carry the weapons in Pennsylvania, police said. They were charged with carrying a concealed firearm without a license and carrying a firearm on a public street.

The men were stopped Thursday about a block from the vehicle, Macias with a .40-caliber Beretta handgun inside his jacket and LaMotta with a 9mm Beretta in a holster, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said. An AR-style rifle and ammunition were found inside the vehicle, Outlaw said.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said that there was no indication anyone else was involved or that the men were connected with any extremist group. A woman with the men wasn’t arrested, he said.

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Prosecutors said earlier they would request that the men be held without bail pending a preliminary hearing, which was scheduled for Nov. 23. Prosecutors said both men were from Chesapeake, Va., while the court docket said Macias is from Virginia Beach.

A message seeking comment was sent Saturday to the Defender Association of Philadelphia, listed in court documents as representing LaMotta; no defense attorney was listed for Macias.

LaMotta and Macias both attended Virginia right-wing rallies and were President Donald Trump supporters, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.

Macias was a Vets for Trump cofounder, the group’s executive director, Vlad Lemets, told the newspaper.

On his Twitter account, Macias on Thursday posted a message saying, “We are mobilizing across the country now.” He was arrested that evening outside the Convention Center.

In January, Macias opened a rally for Virginia State Sen. Amanda Chase, who was running for governor, and uploaded the video to his YouTube channel. He also maintained his own website, www.joshuamacias.com, where he wrote articles supporting veterans issues, reopening business in Virginia, and political opinions.

In an interview with an online magazine, Macias is reported to have been born in 1978 in California.

LaMotta is listed as a Vets for Trump ambassador on the organization’s website. He also is listed as an Army veteran and is a bodyguard and security contractor, according to a website under his name, the newspaper reported.

On his Twitter account, LaMotta in July posted a GoFundMe page to raise money for “Virginia Armed Patriots.” It has since been removed.

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Staff writer Erin Arvedlund contributed to this article.