BATON ROUGE - A Baton Rouge man accused of stealing guns from a pawn shop told investigators he was motivated by money, despite claims that an alleged accomplice said they stole firearms to shoot police officers.

Twenty-year-old Malik Bridgewater made his initial appearance in federal magistrate court on Friday afternoon. Police arrested Bridgewater and two other suspects following a burglary last weekend at a pawn shop where eight handguns were stolen.

A court filing Thursday says Bridgewater told investigators his motivation for the burglary was to sell stolen items.

But state and local law-enforcement authorities said the stolen guns were part of a credible threat to harm police officers.

The arrests came amid heightened tensions in Baton Rouge following a black man's fatal shooting during a struggle with two white police officers.

Following the hearing, the judge agreed to release Bridgewater on the gun and burglary charges that he was booked for on Sunday, July 17. With the release, Bridgewater must comply with a long list of requirements such as obeying a curfew, enlisting in an education program and living with his grandmother.

However, his bond has been revoked on previous charges from a 2015 case where allegedly got a 14-year-old girl pregnant. He must resolve those charges in state court. His next hearing is on Aug. 5.