Police have arrested three suspects and were seeking a possible fourth accused of stealing several handguns as part of a 'substantial, credible threat' to harm police officers in the Baton Rouge area.

Authorities in Baton Rouge discovered the alleged plot while responding to a burglary at a pawn shop early on Saturday morning, Baton Rouge police Chief Carl Dabadie said in a press conference.

Officers had responded to an alarm at the Cash America Pawn on Government Street at around 2am.

They arrested one suspect - Antonio Thomas, 17 - at the scene with a handgun and a BB gun.

During questioning, Thomas said that he and three other suspects stole the firearms and 'were going to get bullets to shoot police,' authorities said.

Another suspect, Malik Bridgewater, 20, was apprehended on Sunday and a third suspect - a 13-old boy - was apprehended on a street.

On Tuesday, the chief also confirmed that Thomas told police that 'the reason the burglary was being done was to harm police officers.'

Dabadie said the suspect did not give any details about when or where a possible plot would be carried out.

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Police arrested three suspects and were seeking a possible fourth accused of stealing several handguns as part of a 'substantial, credible threat' to harm police officers. Antonio Thomas (left) and Malik Bridgewater (right) were arrested in the plot

Officers responded to an alarm at the Cash America Pawn on Government Street at 2am on Saturday

They called on the fourth suspect, who remains at large and has not been identified, to turn himself in.

All of the suspects are from Baton Rouge and all are black. They face charges including burglary, simple burglary, and theft of a firearm; they have not been arrested on any charges related to plotting to kill police.

Another man was arrested for allegedly purchasing two of the stolen guns illegally on the street, but he hasn't been linked to the alleged plot, a police spokesman said.

Trashone Coats, 23, was charged with illegal possession of a stolen firearm.

Six of the eight stolen firearms have been recovered and two are still at large, authorities said.

In a statement, Louisiana State police said surveillance video showed the suspects using a ladder to climb the roof of the building to get in. Eight handguns and one airsoft BB gun were missing from the store.

Authorities in Baton Rouge discovered the alleged plot while responding to a burglary at a pawn shop early on Saturday morning, Baton Rouge police Chief Carl Dabadie (center) said on Tuesday

State Police Col. Mike Edmonson called it a 'substantial, credible threat' to police.

Several law enforcement agencies are now investigating, including East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office, Louisiana State Police and the ATF.

The arrests come at a time of heightened tensions after the deadly police shootings of black men in Baton Rouge and Minnesota and the killing of five police officers in Dallas last week.

Trashone Coats (above), 23, was arrested after police found him with the stolen guns, which he had purchased 'on the street'

Alton Sterling, 37, was killed outside the Triple S Food Mart in Baton Rouge during a scuffle with police on July 5.

Then on Wednesday, Philando Castile, 32, was shot by a white police officer in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, during a traffic stop on Wednesday.

His girlfriend Diamond Reynolds live streamed the gruesome aftermath of his death on Facebook.

Protests spread across the country as people expressed outrage over the deaths.

Most have been peaceful, but in Dallas last Thursday, a Black Lives Matter protest turned deadly when Army veteran Micah Johnson, 25, opened fire amid the demonstration.

He killed four Dallas police officers and a Dallas Area Rapid Transit officer, as well as injuring several more, before he was killed by police using a remote-controlled bomb on a robot in the early hours of Friday morning.

Since then, the Baton Rouge police department has come under criticism for the tactics it's employed to deal with protesters, using riot police and military-style vehicles on the streets of the city.

Over a three day period, police arrested about 200 protesters.

'We have been questioned repeatedly over the last several days about our show of force and why we have the tactics that we have,' Dabadie said on Tuesday.

'Well, this is the reason, because we had credible threats against the lives of law enforcement in this city.'

Three people have been arrested for stealing guns in a 'credible threat' to harm police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Tuesday. Pictured, protesters in the city on Saturday

The death of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge last Tuesday has sparked protests in the city every day since. Above, Ieshia Evans was detained for impeding traffic during a protest on Saturday

Evans was taken into police custody by Baton Rouge police officers in riot gear on Saturday

Police said they have increased their presence in Baton Rouge due to the 'very real and viable threats' to law enforcement in the area, CNN reports.

The alleged plot was the main reason they were quick to become aggressive when they believed protesters in the city were becoming disruptive over the weekend.

'We can't take anything for granted anymore,' East Baton Rouge Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said.

'What you saw in the law enforcement response is because of the very real and viable threats against law enforcement.'

He added: 'Look what happened in Dallas. A very peaceful protest and then some crazy madman.'

A week after Sterling, was shot and killed by two white police officers in Baton Rouge outside a convenience store, tension remain high in the city.

The Justice Department has opened a federal civil rights investigation into Sterling's shooting.

But while protesters demand justice for Sterling, the shootings in Dallas last week and other attacks on police around the country have put the police on edge.

The arrests come a week after the deadly police shooting of Alton Sterling (right) in Baton Rouge. Philando Castile (left) was shot dead by a police officer in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, last Wednesday

Protesters gather at the intersection of N. Foster and Fairfields, near the Triple S Food Mart in Baton Rpuge where Alton Sterling was shot and killed by Baton Rouge Police

In the first few days after Sterling's death, police took a reserved approach to enforcement, keeping a low profile as hundreds gathered outside the convenience store where Sterling died.

But tensions escalated at weekend protests that moved away from the store and into other areas of the city, with nearly 200 people arrested and a show of force from law enforcement that included police wielding batons, armed with long guns and wearing shields.

After nearly a week of protests over Sterling's killing, Baton Rouge officers, state police and other law enforcement agencies have received criticism for their methods of dealing with demonstrators.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana has criticized police as using 'violent, militarized tactics on groups of people who have gathered peacefully.' Amnesty International has questioned the high number of arrests.

But earlier on Tuesday, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards defended the police response to protesters rallying against the shooting death of a black man by white officers, saying the riot gear and weaponry was appropriate.

A Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas last Thursday turned deadly when Army veteran Micah Johnson, 25, opened fire and killed five police officers

'We've had a police officer with teeth knocked out of his face because of a rock.

'If you don't have on riot gear, you have no defense against that sort of thing,' said the Democratic governor, who comes from a family of sheriffs.

'In light of what happened in Dallas, understanding that just one gunman can change the situation entirely, how do you in good conscience put police officers on the street without the ability to defend themselves?' he said.

Meanwhile, community leaders have tried to defuse tension and keep interactions between protesters and law enforcement calm.

State Rep. Ted James, a black lawyer who grew up in the area where Sterling was shot, and Cleve Dunn Jr., a prominent black businessman in Baton Rouge, met with local Republican leaders at a public luncheon to discuss the shooting.

The two men have showed up at protests and urged calm.

'I truly believe that we can have parallel conversations about respect for police officers, making sure that they're safe, but also have a parallel conversation about the things that are happening with African-American males across the country,' James said.

James said black community leaders want Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry to appoint a special prosecutor to handle any state investigation into Sterling's shooting death.

He said the attorney general's office doesn't have the level of expertise to do the investigation and the appointment of an outside prosecutor would depoliticize the work.

Anyone with information is urged asked to contact the Baton Rouge Police Department at (225) 389-3824.

Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for anyone with information that leads to the arrest of those responsible. Call Crime Stoppers anonymously at (225) 344- STOP or (225) 344-7867.