Man forces way into Colorado Supreme Court days after Trump ballot decision

A man was arrested early Tuesday after he broke into the Colorado Supreme Court overnight, opened fire and caused “significant and extensive” damage, local authorities said.

The man was involved in a crash around 1:15 a.m. before he shot out a window and forced his way into the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center, which houses the state Supreme Court, the Colorado Court of Appeals and several other state agencies, the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) said in a news release.

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Dec. 19 that former President Trump could not be on the state’s Republican primary ballot under the insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment. It was the first state to block him from seeking the presidency because of his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.

The court put its ruling on hold until this Thursday so Trump can seek review from the U.S. Supreme Court.

Since the ruling, the FBI has said it is investigating threats made to the state justices who made the ruling. The Denver FBI Field Office said it was working with local law enforcement to “vigorously pursue investigations of any threat or use of violence.”

CSP said law enforcement is treating the Tuesday break-in “seriously, but at this time, it is believed that this is not associated with previous threats to the Colorado Supreme Court Justices.”

The man allegedly pointed a handgun at the other driver involved in the crash and then held an unarmed Colorado State Patrol Capitol Security Unit guard at gunpoint and took their keys.

The man fired shots inside the seventh floor of the building and then fired at Denver police officers and Colorado State Patrol troopers who were outside the building, Denver7 reported.

The man called 911 and voluntarily surrendered to police around 3 a.m. He was placed in custody and taken to a hospital to be cleared.

CSP said the investigation will be led by the Denver Police Department.

The Hill has reached out to the Denver Police Department for more information.