Armed Man Searching for Wisconsin Governor Arrested Twice in One Day Inside Statehouse

A shirtless man armed with a loaded handgun was arrested after he went into the Wisconsin Capitol in Madison, demanding to see Gov. Tony Evers. He returned later with a loaded assault rifle after posting bail, a spokesperson for the state told the Associated Press on Thursday, at which point he was arrested again.

He approached the governor's office on the first floor of the Capitol around 2 p.m. Wednesday, state Department of Administration spokesperson Tatyana Warrick said.

The man was demanding to see Evers, a Democrat, and was carrying a holstered handgun.

Evers was not in the building at the time, Warrick said.

The man was taken into custody for openly carrying a firearm in the Capitol, which is against the law, Warrick said. Weapons can be brought into the Capitol if they are concealed and the person has a valid permit. The man arrested did not have a concealed carry permit, Warrick said.

The man was booked into the Dane County Jail but later posted bail.

He returned to the outside of the Capitol shortly before 9 p.m. with an assault-style rifle, Warrick said, about three hours after the building closed to the public. He again demanded to see the governor and was taken back into custody.

His name has not been released.

“I’m OK,” Gov. Evers told reporters on Thursday. “It’s over but it’s always something that is, things you don’t want to see happen.”

Evers has faced threats before. He was on a hit list of a gunman suspected of fatally shooting a retired county judge at his Wisconsin home in 2022.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.