Man arrested after Colorado Supreme Court building break-in

A man was arrested early Tuesday morning after Colorado authorities say he allegedly broke inside the Colorado Supreme Court Building and held a security guard at gunpoint.

Brandon Olsen, the suspect, is being held for investigation of robbery, burglary and arson, the Denver Police Department said. “Per standard protocol, the Denver District Attorney’s Office will make a final determination on charges.”

The Colorado State Patrol and Denver Police Department “are treating this incident seriously, but at this time, it is believed that this is not associated with previous threats to the Colorado Supreme Court Justices,” the Denver Police Department said in a statement.

According to the statement of probable cause, Olsen was arrested at approximately 3 a.m. on Tuesday.

Before the alleged break-in, two cars collided at around 1:15 a.m. near the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center. The center is home to the Colorado Supreme Court among other courts and agencies. It’s alleged the suspect entered through a first floor window.

After the collision, the suspect was allegedly “last seen running towards the Colorado State Supreme Court building with a pistol in his hand.”

“The individual held the security guard at gunpoint and demanded access to other parts of the building. The individual obtained keys from the security guard and proceeded into the other parts of the building and accessed an unknown number of floors,” the Colorado State Patrol said in its statement.

“While in the building officers noted that it appeared the suspect intentionally set a fire on the seventh floor of the building,” the statement of probable cause alleged. He surrendered to the police after he called 911.

The security guard, whose name was redacted, told Denver police “that he was nervous and was shaking because the male had the pistol pointed at him.” The guard had tried to open the door with his keys and allegedly, the suspect took the keys from him. After the door was open, the guard “ran from this area and then called his dispatch,” according to the statement of probable cause.

“There are no injuries to building occupants, the suspect, or police personnel,” the Colorado State Patrol said. There was “significant and extensive damage to the building.”

The suspect was taken to the Denver Health Medical Center and later cleared by doctors, according to the statement of probable cause.

The news comes after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that former President Donald Trump should be barred from the state’s 2024 ballot. The court’s opinion rests on its belief that Trump was in violation of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment due to his involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection.

“We conclude that the foregoing evidence, the great bulk of which was undisputed at trial, established that President Trump engaged in insurrection,” the opinion states.

After the release of Colorado’s decision, the FBI announced that it was investigating threats against the court’s judges following this decision.

“The FBI is aware of the situation and working with local law enforcement,” FBI public affairs officer Vikki Migoya said in a statement to CNN. “We will vigorously pursue investigations of any threat or use of violence committed by someone who uses extremist views to justify their actions regardless of motivation.”