A man was in police custody Tuesday after being ejected from the state House and then reportedly getting into a scuffle with troopers inside the Capitol.
Joseph Canada, 41, of Santa Rosa, Calif., was thrown out of the House by sergeants-at-arms after he reportedly walked onto the floor and tried to walk down the center aisle, where only lawmakers are permitted.
Sergeant-at-arms John Wallin said Canada entered through the front doors of the chamber, made it to the top step of the center aisle and didn’t stop when told he was not allowed to walk there.
“He wanted to speak to representatives,” Wallin said. “He wanted to speak to government.”
It took three sergeants-at-arms to escort Canada out, and state troopers summoned to the chamber walked him out of the building.
“He was told he could come back as long as he didn’t cause a disturbance,” said Trooper Gilbert Mares.
Canada then returned to the Capitol and bolted through a checkpoint with metal detectors, Gilbert said. Troopers chased him through the Capitol, and he wrapped his arms around posts, refusing to follow orders, Gilbert said.
After wrestling with Canada, troopers handcuffed him and took him to the Denver City Jail.
He was booked on suspicion of disrupting a lawful assembly, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and trespassing. His bond was set at $750.
In July, a trooper shot and killed an armed and mentally deranged man outside Gov. Bill Ritter’s office. Officials later restricted public access to the Capitol and added metal detectors at public entrances.
Tim Hoover: 303-954-1626 or thoover@denverpost.com
