An armed man broke into the Colorado Supreme Court early Tuesday and took a safety guard hostage whereas firing a number of gunshots and inflicting “significant and extensive damage,” authorities mentioned.
The particular person, who was not instantly recognized, shot out a window to achieve entry to the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center in Denver shortly after being concerned in a two-car crash outdoors the constructing round 1:15 a.m., the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) mentioned in a launch.
The man, who allegedly pointed a handgun on the different driver earlier than fleeing the scene, entered the constructing and held an unarmed guard with the CSP’s Capitol Security Unit at gunpoint. He then demanded entry to different components of the constructing, which additionally homes the Colorado Court of Appeals, the CSP mentioned.
“The individual obtained keys from the security guard and proceeded into other parts of the building and accessed an unknown number of floors,” state police mentioned.
The suspect fired a number of gunshots inside earlier than calling 911 and voluntarily surrendering round 3 a.m. No accidents have been reported, although there may be “significant and extensive damage to the building and the investigation is ongoing,” police mentioned.
The man was taken to a neighborhood hospital for analysis, authorities added.
The incident got here two weeks after Colorado’s Supreme Court dominated 4-3 to take away former President Donald Trump from the state’s 2024 presidential main poll. The courtroom dominated that he’s ineligible to carry workplace underneath the 14th Amendment’s “insurrectionist ban.”
The break-in is more than likely not associated to that ruling or current threats towards the courtroom’s justices, state police mentioned citing a preliminary investigation that’s being led by the Denver Police Department.
A spokesperson for the town’s police division didn’t instantly reply to HuffPost’s requests for remark.
