Gunman breaks into Colorado Supreme Court building, holds guard at gunpoint

DENVER (KDVR) — A man leaving the scene of a car wreck early Tuesday morning shot his way into the Colorado Supreme Court building and inflicted “extensive damage” to the building before being arrested by police, authorities said, adding the incident seems unrelated to the court’s recent ruling banning former President Donald Trump from the ballot.

Colorado’s justices have received threats ever since they ruled 4-3 last month that a rarely-used constitutional provision barring from office those who “engaged in insurrection” applies to Trump. Authorities, however, said Tuesday’s incident appears unrelated to that case. Trump is expected to appeal that ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court later Tuesday.

“The CSP and DPD 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 Colorado State Patrol said in a statement said, using the acronyms for the state patrol and Denver Police Department.

According to the Denver Police Department, officers responded to a call at 1:15 a.m. about a two-car crash in the area. One of the drivers allegedly pointed a handgun at the other.

A short time later, the Colorado State Patrol said the same man shot out a window on the east side of the Colorado Supreme Court building known as the Ralph L. Carr Judicial Center.

The man then breached the building and came in contact with an unarmed security guard with the Colorado State Patrol Capitol Security Unit. CSP said the man then held the security guard at gunpoint and demanded access to other parts of the building. He obtained keys from the guard and accessed an unknown number of floors.

CSP said the man then made his way to the seventh floor where he fired shots inside the building.

At 3:00 a.m. the man called 911 and voluntarily surrendered to police. He was taken into custody without incident.

According to CSP, there were no injuries to anyone inside the building, police or the suspect. However, there is “significant and extensive damage” to the Supreme Court building.

Several hours after the crash a large shattered window could be seen on the ground floor of the building, with glass spilled out on the sidewalk along a busy street downtown. A state patrol trooper guarded it.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.