Denver: Inmate hurt in jump from 3rd-floor courtroom

DENVER, Colorado — An inmate in handcuffs and shackles was seriously injured when he jumped through a closed window in a third-floor courtroom in the Denver City and County Building Wednesday, shattering the glass and plunging to the ground, police said.

It wasn't immediately clear whether the man was trying to escape or commit suicide, police spokesman Sonny Jackson said.

A witness, Ty Berrien, said the man was sitting in court when he was told to go before the judge.

"And he was just sitting there, turned around and he went headfirst out the third-story window," Berrien told KCNC-TV in Denver.

Neither the inmate's name nor details of his injuries were immediately released.

Jackson said the man was in court on a misdemeanor assault charge when he jumped.

Fire Department Lt. Phil Champagne said the man was lying on a grate outside the building when firefighters arrived.