A woman drove a car onto the sidewalk outside a Denver building Thursday, set the car on fire and then watched it burn, witnesses said.
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The woman, identified as 39-year-old Anastasia Gordeeva, was arrested for investigation of second-degree arson, the Denver District Attorney's Office said.
She is accused of setting a car on fire outside the Wellington E. Webb Municipal Office Building, at 201 W. Colfax Ave., which houses the district attorney's office.
The incident happened shortly after noon, as dozens of people looked on.
When the car came to a stop, the driver threw something into the back seat, paused for a moment, got out of the car and walked into the Webb building, witness Jessica Woods recalled.
Woods, 28, and her husband, Craig Woods, 31, were outside the building as the incident unfolded. "She walked into the building and then walked out and stood with us and watched (the car) burn," Jessica Woods said. "You could see flames shooting up in the back seat."
Rody Salas, 35, of Denver, was driving by and had stopped for a red light.
"I saw her pull onto the sidewalk and swerve back and forth," Salas said.
"She got out of the car and very calmly started walking to the main entrance of the building. I noticed the smoke, and the smoke turned into flames.
"I thought: 'What the heck!' "
Meanwhile, on the sidewalk in front of the building, Craig Woods dialed 911 and people near the car backed off to a safe distance.
The woman told the Woods she was homeless and an immigrant. She said she was being abused by her husband and had reported it, but no one was helping her.
"People were talking to her — she was answering questions," Jessica Woods said.
The driver told people she was angry and frustrated. Woods said she didn't feel directly threatened by the woman who had set the car on fire.
Denver police and firefighters arrived.
Firefighters worked on putting out the fire and police were interviewing witnesses, Woods said.
Witnesses pointed out the driver to police. She was handcuffed and taken into custody without further incident.
"She knew she was going to jail," Woods said. "She was very calm about it."
Woods described the driver as a middle-aged woman, who spoke with an Eastern European accent. The woman looked disheveled.
"She looked like she hadn't had a shower in a few days," Jessica Woods said.
Firefighters worked on putting out the fire and police were interviewing witnesses, Woods said.
Witnesses pointed out the driver to police. She was handcuffed and taken into custody without further incident.
"She knew she was going to jail," Woods said. "She was very calm about it."
Woods described the driver as a middle-aged woman, who spoke with an Eastern European accent. The woman looked disheveled.
"She looked like she hadn't had a shower in a few days," Jessica Woods said.
The woman told Woods that the car, a late-model Chevrolet Cruze with Texas license plates, was a rental car.
No one was injured in the incident.
The Webb building houses various Denver offices, including the Denver District Attorney's Office.
The blazing car emitted heavy black smoke for about 10 minutes before being extinguished by Denver firefighters.
The initial report to the fire department came in at 12:09 p.m.
Mark Watson, a Denver Fire Department spokesman, said investigators will be using images from security cameras as part of an arson investigation.
Watson said investigators will attempt to determine whether a mechanical problem caused the fire or whether the woman intentionally drove the car toward the city offices and then torched it.
The Woods have just moved to Colorado, from out of state, and it was their first day in Denver.
"Welcome to Denver, right?" Jessica Woods said. "It's just one of those things — it could happen anywhere."
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