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. 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,” Colorado State Patrol said in a statement to Colorado Public Radio .

Before the alleged break in, two cars collided at around 1:15 a.m. near the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center, which includes the Colorado Supreme Court among other courts and agencies. One man involved in the collision allegedly pointed a gun at the other driver before entering the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center.

“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 proceed into the other parts of the building and accessed an unknown number of floors,” the Colorado State Patrol said in its statement.

The man allegedly fired shots on the seventh floor. He surrendered to the police after he called 911 at 3 a.m., according to the Colorado State Patrol. “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 man was reportedly taken to a local hospital, according to NBC News .

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 their 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.”.