Suspect arrested after breaking into Colorado Supreme Court building

By Brendan O’Brien

(Reuters) – A suspect was arrested early on Tuesday after breaking into the Colorado Supreme Court building in Denver and opening fire at responding police officers, local media reported, citing authorities.

Shortly after 1 a.m. local time, police officers were called to the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center in downtown Denver. Inside, they found a suspect who then opened fire at them, a spokesperson with the Denver Police Department told local ABC news affiliate Denver 7.

Responding officers did not fire back. The suspect, who was not identified, was taken into custody some two hours after officers arrived at the scene, the news station reported.

The Denver Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The suspect’s motive for the break-in was unclear.

The Colorado Supreme Court has been the center of a legal battle which has garnered national attention after it disqualified former President Donald Trump from the state’s Republican primary ballot for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.

The court ruled that Trump was barred by a U.S. constitutional provision that prohibits anyone who “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” from holding public office. Last week, the Colorado Republican Party asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in the case.

Authorities have said nothing about any possible connection between the break-in and the Trump case.

During Tuesday’s incident, an officer discovered a small fire had been extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system during the incident. Police did not say how the fire started or what was burning. They also did not disclosed how the suspect entered the building.

No one was hurt during the incident, Denver 7 reported.

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