(TargetDailyNews.com) – An early morning car crash on January 2nd in Denver was apparently only the beginning for one of the drivers who was later arrested for breaking into the Colorado Supreme Court, shooting up the building, and setting a fire in the stairwell.
Forty-four-year-old Brandon Olsen was arrested by Denver police and charged with arson, burglary, and aggravated robbery after he allegedly fled the scene of an auto crash before breaching the court building. Olsen has a history of charges related to drugs and drunk driving.
Police say Olsen was involved in a car crash in Denver at about 1 am Tuesday during which he pulled a gun on the other driver. Soon after, the man broke into the Ralph L. Carr Judicial Center and went on a rampage, according to state police. Olsen allegedly shot through a window as part of his successful attempt to break into the building.
Once inside, Olsen allegedly held a security guard at gunpoint. His arrest affidavit states the unnamed security guard found himself at the end of Olsen’s pistol as the suspect tried to kick down the door to a maintenance room. In fear for his life, the guard said, he offered to open the door for the violent man. Instead, Olsen allegedly stole the guard’s keys, including the building master key, and let himself into several other rooms throughout the office complex.
While the sequence of events is not yet entirely clear, police say Olsen shot his gun numerous times in the building and started a fire in one of the stairwells. At 3 am, Olsen apparently called 911 and turned himself in to police. On investigating the building, police found a handgun on an office table.
The damage to the building was “significant and extensive,” according to a statement from the Colorado State Patrol. However, that damage occurred in the portion of the building devoted to administrative offices. There was no damage to the courtroom itself, though the building was closed for the rest of the day.
The Colorado Supreme Court has most recently made headlines for its controversial decision to remove Donald Trump from the state’s Republican primary ballot on the notion that the former President was “involved in insurrection.” But investigators say they don’t believe Olsen’s alleged actions were connected to the violent threats received by CSC justices after that decision.
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