Intruder arrested after firing shots out of Colorado Supreme Court building

Patrick Hilsman
·2 min read
42
UPI
A man was arrested after breaking into the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center, seen here in November 2020, and holding a security guard at gunpoint before firing shots outside of the window and allegedly starting a fire in the building that houses the state's Supreme Court. Photo by Xnatedawgx/Wikimedia Commons

Jan. 2 (UPI) -- A man was arrested after breaking into the building that houses Colorado's Supreme Court early Tuesday morning, local authorities said.

Colorado State Police said in a statement to local news outlets that there was "significant and extensive damage" to the building as the suspect fired shots out of one of the windows on its east side.

The Denver Fire Department also responded to the scene and were quickly able to put out a fire that was started inside the building.

Denver Police said they initially received reports of a crash on 13th Ave. and Lincoln St. nearby the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center at about 1:15 a.m. where one of the motorists had drawn a firearm.

The suspect then ran into the Supreme Court Building and forced a security guard to hand over keys to rooms in the building at gunpoint and made his way to the seventh floor where he fired shots, according to the Colorado State Patrol.

Police said the set up a perimeter outside of the building and the gunman then called 911 at about 3 a.m. to turn himself in.

The suspect, whose identity was not immediately released, was then taken into custody.

He was taken to a hospital to be cleared although authorities said he was not injured and no injuries were reported among law enforcement or people within the building.

Both the Colorado Supreme Court and the Colorado Court of Appeals conduct their business at the building.

The Colorado State Patrol and the Denver Police Department said they did not believe the incident was associated with existing threats against Colorado Supreme Court Justices after the body ruled last month to disqualify former President Donald Trump from the state's GOP primary ballot.

The ruling led to an increase in threats made against the high court's justices, prompting the Denver Police Department to increase its patrols and the FBI to investigate the threats.

The Denver Police Department will lead the investigation into the Tuesday morning incident.