Law enforcement officers in Colorado arrested an armed suspect who allegedly shot his way into the Colorado Supreme Court building early on Tuesday morning and setting a fire once inside the building.
The armed suspect had reportedly been involved in a two-vehicle crash near the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center in Denver at around 1:15 a.m. on Tuesday morning, according to a statement shared with NTD News by the Denver Police Department (DPD).
One of the motorists involved in the collision allegedly emerged from his vehicle and pointed a handgun at the other driver. A short time later, that same armed individual, identified by DPD as 44-year-old Brandon Olsen, approached the Supreme Court building, shooting out a window on the east side of the building to gain entry.
Once inside the building, Mr. Olsen allegedly crossed paths with an unarmed security guard from the Colorado State Patrol Capitol Security Unit and held the guard at gunpoint, eventually obtaining his security keys. Mr. Olsen then made his way into various other parts of the building, including the courthouse’s seventh floor, where he reportedly fired additional shots inside the building. Mr. Olsen also allegedly set a fire in one of the building’s stairwells.
Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and DPD officers responding to the vehicle collision set up a security perimeter around the adjacent court building. According to DPD, Mr. Olsen eventually called 911 at around 3 a.m. local time and voluntarily surrendered without further incident. Denver Fire was then able to put out the flames inside the building’s stairwell.
Following his arrest, law enforcement officers took the suspect to a local hospital to be cleared by medical personnel.
DPD reported there was “significant and extensive damage” within the building following the Tuesday morning incident.
Mr. Olsen is currently being held for possible robbery, burglary, and arson charges. DPD is leading the investigation of the incident and the Denver District Attorney’s will make the final determination as the the charges Mr. Olsen may face.
No injuries have been reported as a result of the Tuesday morning break-in. CSP described the damage to the building sustained “significant and extensive damage” but DPD said its investigators are still evaluating the full extent of the damage.
Break-In Likely Unrelated To Recent Threats: Investigators
The armed break-in at the Colorado Supreme Court building comes two weeks after the court ruled 4–3 that President Donald Trump had engaged in insurrectionist activity and should be disqualified from 2024 election ballots in the state. Colorado and federal law enforcement officials have been investigating threats against the court’s justices in the days after its decision impacting President Trump.
The CSP and DPD both said they are taking the Tuesday morning break-in at the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center seriously, but indicated no clear link to the previous threats levied at the court following their recent ruling.
“Preliminary investigations confirmed a high probability the incident being investigated the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center is NOT associated to the recent threats against the Colorado Supreme Court Justices,” reads a CSP press statement provided to NTD News.
The CSP and DPD did not say how they determined with “high probability” that the break-in was unrelated to other recent threats against the Colorado Supreme Court, nor did they offer any other details about the possible motive for the break-in.
The Colorado Supreme Court has stayed its own decision relying on an interpretation of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to justify barring President Trump from the state’s 2024 ballots. Last week, Democratic Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold announced President Trump’s name would remain on the state’s primary ballot while the case is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Donald Trump will be included as a candidate on Colorado’s 2024 Presidential Primary Ballot when certification occurs on January 5, 2024, unless the U.S. Supreme Court declines to take the case or otherwise affirms the Colorado Supreme Court ruling,” the Colorado Secretary of State’s office announced.
