ATLANTA -- Police said three people face charges for allegedly stealing manhole covers near the Georgia Dome Thursday morning.

Sgt. Ricardo Vazquez said police received a call at about 1:30 a.m., saying three men were stealing manhole covers near the Georgia Dome and putting them into a van.

A few minutes later, according to Vazquez, police pulled the van over in a traffic stop. Inside the van were several manhole covers.

Police believe the men were going to sell the covers because of the valuable metal the covers contain.

Vazquez said having the heavy covers in the van was dangerous for the people inside.

“It would be very dangerous,” Vazquez said. “There’s a risk a tire could blow out, it’s a pretty dangerous situation.”

The trio will be charged with interfering with government property and theft by receiving. Police did not release the thieves’ names.