Denver Capitol cleared after bomb squad checks suspicious device

The Colorado state Capitol returned to normal operations by 11:49 a.m. on Wednesday after a brief evacuation triggered by a suspicious item found inside the building. The disruption closed Lincoln Street and 14th Avenue to traffic while authorities conducted a sweep of the east side of the structure.

Colorado State Patrol troopers discovered the object at 10:34 a.m. on a windowsill near the east entrance. They secured the area and began clearing offices room by room. At 11:12 a.m., the patrol ordered a full building evacuation as a precautionary measure. Two minutes later, the Denver Police Department bomb squad arrived on scene.

The bomb squad tested the device and determined it posed no threat to the public. At 11:29 a.m., officers arrested a 32-year-old man in connection with the incident and transferred him to Denver Police custody. The state patrol did not release the man's name or specify the charges. The agency referred questions about the case to Denver police.

Trooper Sherri Mendez said the immediate priority was securing the perimeter and clearing the east side before expanding the search. The Denver Police Department did not immediately respond to an email seeking further details on the arrest or the nature of the device.

The roads reopened and the evacuation order lifted at 11:49 a.m., roughly an hour after the device was first found. The state patrol identified the item as a device designed to look like a bomb.