A 43-year-old man was arrested early Tuesday after he opened fire and barricaded himself inside the Colorado Supreme Court building in Denver, authorities said.
The Colorado State Patrol in a statement said they do not believe the incident is related to previous threats against seven court judges after they ruled 4-3 Dec 19 that former President Donald Trump was ineligible to appear on the state’s March 5 primary vote.
The suspect, identified as Brandon Olsen, was involved in a car crash outside the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Justice Center at about 1:15 a.m. and pointed a gun at another driver before shooting into the building through a window, according to CSP.
After breaking in, Olsen allegedly held an unarmed security guard at gunpoint. He then grabbed the officer’s keys and headed to the seventh floor, according to investigators.
While there, Olsen fired more shots and apparently set himself on fire, setting off a fire extinguisher, according to a Denver Police affidavit signed in support of his arrest.
A general view of the Colorado Supreme Court building after a man broke in and barricaded himself inside overnight. Reuters
Around 3 a.m., Olsen surrendered to law enforcement officers who had surrounded the building.
“There were no injuries to building occupants, suspects, or police officers,” authorities said in a press release.
Hours after the incident, large broken windows could be seen on the ground floor of the building, with glass spilling onto the sidewalk along a busy downtown street. A CSP soldier is guarding the scene.
Police tape surrounds the area where a man broke into the Colorado Supreme Court building and barricaded himself inside overnight. Reuters
Centennial Supreme Court Justices ruled that Trump’s actions on January 6, 2021, conflicted with Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which prohibits those “engaged in rebellion or insurrection” from holding office.
Trump has been allowed to remain on the primary ballot without extraordinary intervention by the US Supreme Court to uphold or otherwise uphold the Colorado court’s decision before the primary ballot is printed later this week.
The CSP said it had increased security for Supreme Court judges since their decision but declined to detail how. It said its security officers at the entrance to state buildings were unarmed but could call armed state patrol officers stationed nearby for assistance.
Donald Trump has also been kicked out of Maine’s 2024 GOP primary. AP
An investigation into the matter is underway.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
