A virtual candidate forum featuring the nine Democrats running in a primary for the Colorado congressional seat held by Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert was cut short Saturday evening when an unauthorized participant hijacked the video feed with pornographic images.

The disruption, commonly known as “Zoombombing,” occurred during an online videoconference on the Zoom platform, which was organized by the Colorado Democratic Party and had attracted roughly 250 participants.

A spokeswoman for the Democrats said law enforcement officials have been notified and are investigating.

“We apologize to everyone who had to witness the offensive and criminal content that was shared during this meeting,” Megan Burns, the Colorado Democrats’ communications director, wrote in an email that went out to those who attended the forum. “We are living in unprecedented times and the fact that someone would stoop this low to stop us from discussing the important policy issues says a lot.”

James Iacino, the Democrats’ 3rd Congressional District chairman, told Colorado Politics he was “appalled” by the images that interrupted the meeting and said he was disappointed the candidates had been prevented from finishing what had been a lively exchange on the issues.

“I think we were having a great forum and a great policy discussion,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that this is the world that we live in. Obviously, we will do everything in our power to bring this person to justice.”

 A spokeswoman for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Party officials said Democrats plan to reschedule the forum at a later date.

About 70 minutes into the two-hour forum, while one of the candidates was wrapping up an answer about renewable energy policy, someone using the alias “John” took over the screen and began showing lewd images that immediately provoked shouts of dismay and outrage.

“Alright, someone has hijacked the screen,” said Colorado Democratic Party Chair Morgan Carroll, the forum’s moderator, as she and others attempted to regain control of the feed for about 15 seconds before a staffer said, “Shut it down! Shut it down!” and the Zoom call ended.

Zoombombing and similar forms of online harassment have been on the increase since virtual meetings became more common during the coronavirus pandemic. 

“We’ve never experienced anything like this,” Burns told Colorado Politics. “Everyone’s pretty rattled, to be perfectly honest. I really don’t know why someone would do that.”

She said the forum’s organizers discovered a link to the Zoom call had been shared earlier on social media. She added that the party has reached out to Zoom and is working with the company’s security team but so far had no leads.

The candidates who are hoping to run against Boebert said they were angry the candidate forum had been derailed.

“The Democratic Party has put forth an excellent slate of candidates, and it is clear that whoever hacked our forum is threatened by the strength of our values, our ideas to make life better for the people in this district, and our ability to defeat Lauren Boebert this November,” Debby Burnett told Colorado Politics in a text message.

“It’s absolutely critical for voters to hear from and ask questions candidates, now more than ever, and it’s sad and unfortunate that someone decided to hijack this process. But it will not stop Sol from continuing to talk to voters at every opportunity,” Luis Vasquez, Sol Sandoval’s campaign manager, said in a text message.

Alex Walker, an Avon resident who joined the primary field this week, took to Twitter to address the hackers.

“Since I know you (expletives) are reading this: you showed your hand, and we know you’re scared,” he tweeted. “Buckle up (expletives). I’m coming for you.”