A 39-year-old man barricaded himself inside the lobby of the governor’s office at the Colorado Capitol on Tuesday before being tased and arrested by law enforcement officers.
Adil Mazmanov was not armed and made no specific threats against Gov. Jared Polis, who was not on the Capitol grounds at the time, said Trooper Josh Lewis, a Colorado State Patrol spokesman.
Mazmanov said the U.S. government needed to listen to him, Lewis said, but it’s not clear what he wanted them to hear.
The last incident of this kind, Lewis said, happened in 2007 when an armed man walked into the reception area of the governor’s office and declared “I am the emperor and I’m here to take over state government” before being shot and killed by a state patrolman outside the office.
Shortly after his win in November, Polis received additional security precautions amid an increase in threats. A spokeswoman for the governor had no comment on Tuesday’s incident.
Mazmanov entered the Capitol about 7:45 a.m., and State Patrol guards confiscated a tool and razor blades from his backpack at the security checkpoint before letting him enter the building.
Less than 10 minutes later, Mazmanov walked into the public reception area of the governor’s office, closed the big wooden double doors that open to the Capitol and began moving couches and chairs to barricade himself inside. He also put furniture in front of the secured door that leads to the governor’s office.
The State Patrol, which oversees security at the Capitol, was notified within a minute and quickly managed to break through the makeshift barricade. A state trooper deployed a Taser, but it had little effect.
Mazmanov tried to assault the responding troopers, Lewis said, but he was subdued and handcuffed within minutes. No one was seriously injured in the altercation, he said.
Staff from the governor’s office typically sit in the lobby, but authorities said no one was at the reception desk when Mazmanov entered.
Mazmanov, who has lived in Colorado and Washington state, was arrested and is accused of second-degree assault on an officer. He is being held in lieu of bail at Denver’s downtown jail.
His first court appearance is Wednesday, according to jail records.