DENVER — A man is accused of breaking into the Colorado Supreme Court building early Tuesday, causing “significant and extensive” damage before surrendering to police, authorities said.
Brandon Olsen, 44, faces charges of arson, robbery and burglary in connection with the incident, the Denver Police Department said in a news release. He is accused of holding a security guard at gunpoint and starting a fire on the seventh floor of the building.
Officials with the Colorado State Patrol said the incident was not believed to be “associated with previous threats to the Colorado Supreme Court justices,” The Denver Post reported.
RELEASE: Suspect Arrested in E 14th Ave. Incident #Denver pic.twitter.com/J2nZHVMPeI
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) January 2, 2024
The incident occurred two weeks after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that former President Donald Trump could not appear on the state’s primary ballot based on his actions in relation to the Jan. 6, 2021, breach at the U.S. Capitol breach, according to the newspaper. Police have since investigated threats directed at the Supreme Court justices who ruled by a 4-3 margin to ban the former president from the ballot.
Police responded to the area of 13th Avenue and Lincoln Street at about 1:11 a.m. MST on Tuesday after receiving a report about a two-vehicle crash, KUSA-TV reported. According to the state patrol, one person involved in the crash pointed a handgun at the other driver, the television station reported.
Olsen has “no affiliation politically whatsoever” and was experiencing a mental health breakdown during the incident, his ex-wife, Tori Schumacher, told the Post.
UPDATE: Brandon Olsen has “no affiliation politically whatsoever” and was experiencing a mental health breakdown during the incident, his ex-wife, Colorado resident Tori Schumacher, told The Denver Post on Tuesday. https://t.co/w5xRDoiVUx
— The Denver Post (@denverpost) January 3, 2024
“We’re just really sad this has happened to Brandon and that he hasn’t gotten the mental health help that he clearly needs,” Schumacher told the newspaper. “We’re hoping for the best for him … He’s a really loving, good guy, just had a mental breakdown. Drugs will do that to you.”
Police said that Olsen reached the seventh floor of the building, fired shots and started a fire in a stairwell, KUSA reported.
The blaze was extinguished by firefighters and was also contained by the building’s sprinkler systems, KUSA reported.
The courthouse building remained closed Tuesday as officials investigated to determine the extent of the damage, CNN reported.
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