Authorities on Tuesday arrested a man who allegedly breached the Colorado Supreme Court building, fired shots and tried to start a fire shortly after midnight, heavily damaging one of the offices.  

Authorities said they do not believe the incident is related to previous threats the Colorado Supreme Court received after concluding former president Donald Trump is ineligible to appear on the state’s presidential primary ballot.  

The police said the man, identified as 44-year-old Brandon Kyle Olsen, crashed a vehicle in an adjacent street and then made his way into the government building, where he pointed a gun at security guard.

Responding officers surrounded the building and reported shots fired from inside, a dramatic scene detailed in the arrest affidavit, which redacted Olsen’s answers to investigators’ questions.  

Olsen ultimately surrendered to the officers, the police said.   

“While in the building, officers noted that it appeared the suspect intentionally set a fire on the seventh floor of the building,” according to the arrest affidavit.

The Attorney General’s Office is located on the seventh floor of the building.   

“So far, we know that the incident involved a person who shot his way into the building through one of the glass doors or windows,” said Lawrence Pacheco, a spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office. “There is some heavy damage to Department of Law office space. No personnel were physically harmed and the suspect is in custody. We are thankful for the rapid law enforcement response to the incident and are cooperating with the ongoing investigation.”

It all began with a car crash, the police said. 

The Denver Police Department said authorities received a 911 call at 1:11 a.m. from a person who reported being in a car crash on 13th Avenue and Lincoln Street. The caller said the driver of the other vehicle grabbed a gun from the back of his car and fled. The caller also reported hearing gunshots.   

Suspect in custody after barricade inside Colorado Supreme Court building9News

Olsen reportedly pointed a handgun at the other driver, as well, according to the Colorado State Patrol.

A short time later, the suspect shot out a first-floor window on the east side of the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center.

A lone security guard in the building heard loud banging and walked into the lobby to investigate. The guard then ran into Olsen, who carried a pistol, the arrest document said.

Olsen began kicking the door to a maintenance room, and, at that point, the guard offered – and tried to use – a master key to open the door for Olsen. 

“He said that he was nervous and was shaking because the male had the pistol pointed at him,” the arrest document said, referring to the guard.

Olsen grabbed the keys from the guard and opened the door himself. The guard then ran and called his dispatch, the arrest document said. 

Denver officers and Colorado State Patrol troopers responded to the scene and set up a perimeter. At some point, the suspect made his way to the 7th floor. The police said he also fired shots inside the building. Officers investigating the incident later said they saw that a large, glass window on the first floor had been broken out.

A woman who was working inside the building at the time told the police she heard the fire alarm go off, left the building and did not witness the break-in.

The lead investigator also later reported smelling smoke on the 7th floor and finding water from the fire suppression sprinklers. 

“Burnt papers were in the water,” the arrest document said.  

Olsen Brandon PC 1-2024_Redacted.pdf

There was bullet damage in at least two windows on the floor and the investigator found a semi-automatic pistol on the on a table in the 7th-floor conference room, according to the arrest records. 

At approximately 3 a.m., the suspect called 911 and voluntarily surrendered to police. There are no reported injuries to building occupants, the suspect or police personnel, the State Patrol said.

Authorities took the suspect to a local hospital, where he was cleared by medical personnel.

Authorities decided to close the Ralph Carr Judicial Center for the remainder of the day.

“It is quite understandable that the defendants do not have access to their office right now,” U.S. District Court Senior Judge John L. Kane said. “It was shut down because of the disturbance that occurred there with the shooting and that building is locked up. So, they couldn’t bring their equipment today.”

A spokesperson from the Office of the State Court Administrator told The Denver Gazette that court officials have yet to assess the damages inside of the building.

“The CSP and DPD are treating this incident seriously,” the State Patrol said in news release, “but at this time, it is believed that this is not associated with previous threats to the Colorado Supreme Court Justices.”

The Colorado Supreme Court concluded on Dec. 19 that former president Donald Trump is ineligible for the presidency because he engaged in “insurrection” and that a rarely-invoked constitutional provision applies, indeed, to the president. Three justices dissented, alleging that the trial failed to afford the former president due process. 

Olsen is scheduled to appear in Denver County Court on Wednesday to be advised of any charges he faces. 

His criminal record includes a felony theft conviction, which resulted in one year of probation in 2014. Olsen has had at least three cases filed against him for “driving under suspension” and “driving under restraint,” court records show.