An intruder shot out a window of the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center, entered the building, and held an unarmed security guard at gunpoint early Tuesday morning. The suspect was arrested after allegedly firing additional shots and starting a fire inside the building that is the home of the Colorado Supreme Court and the Colorado Court of Appeals.
Colorado State Patrol said in a press release this all started with a two-vehicle crash at 13th and Lincoln Streets where one individual reportedly pointed a handgun at another driver around 1:15 a.m. Tuesday.
A short time later, the suspect, whom Denver police identified as an adult male, shot out a window on the east side of the building and climbed in. Soon after, he came into contact with an unarmed security guard from the Colorado State Patrol Capitol Security Unit.
He held the guard at gunpoint, took their keys, and proceeded to access other parts of the building, eventually making his way to the 7th floor, where he fired additional shots. Law enforcement set up a perimeter around the building, and at around 3 a.m. the suspect called 911 to surrender. He was taken into custody and transported to a hospital to be cleared by medical personnel.
There were no injuries to occupants in the building, the suspect, or law enforcement.
The Denver Fire Department was called to the scene at one point because law enforcement spotted a fire. Firefighters were quickly able to get the fire under control.
There is significant and extensive damage to the building, according to the Colorado State Patrol.
The suspect’s identity has not been released.
The judicial center is located at 2 East 14th Avenue just off Civic Center Park in downtown Denver.
The Colorado Supreme Court made headlines late last year when it ruled that former President Donald Trump is disqualified from holding the presidency under the Constitution’s so-called insurrection clause and ordered the secretary of state to exclude his name from the state’s Republican presidential primary ballot. That decision has been appealed.
As of Tuesday morning, the Colorado State Patrol and the Denver Police Department do not believe this to be associated with previous threats to the Colorado Supreme Court Justices. The Denver Police Department is taking the lead on this investigation.
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