Yahoo TV

After an overnight stand-off that shut down a major highway, police arrested 11 heavily armed militia members near Boston Saturday at the start of the Independence holiday.

It all began about 1 AM when a state trooper spotted two cars stopped in a breakdown lane with groups of men armed with rifles and pistols standing around. Its leader told police they were traveling from Rhode Island to Maine for what he called, “some training.”

When police asked for their ID and gun permits, the men scattered into the nearby woods off Interstate 95. Police shut down the highway and asked local residents to “shelter in place,” then spent hours negotiating with the group’s leaders, seeking their surrender.

Massachusetts State Police Colonel Christopher Mason:

“I can share with you that a number of firearms have been seized. I cannot share with you the exact number. The two vehicles that were at the scene are being towed from the scene. They will be processed pursuant to a court-authorized search warrant, and only then will we know the exact number of firearms that have been seized.”

There were reportedly no shots fired and no injuries during the encounter. The highway has since been reopened.