A 43-year-old man nicknamed “Taco” brought a loaded handgun to the Wisconsin state Capitol building Wednesday afternoon, demanding to see Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. He later returned with an assault rifle to continue seeking out Evers after posting bail.
Joshua Pleasnick, who goes by “Taco,” was taken into custody by Dane County law enforcement after the primary incident Wednesday afternoon. At around 9 p.m. Wednesday, Pleasnick returned to the Capitol with an AK-47, asking to see the governor.
The man arrived shirtless at the Capitol and approached the governor’s office in an attempt to confront Evers.
Capitol security then took the man into custody without incident.
“The 43-year-old man would not leave until he saw Governor Evers,” Tatyana Warrick, spokesperson for the Department of Administration, told the Associated Press.
The man, adamant to speak with Evers, wanted to converse about “domestic abuse toward men,” according to Warrick. She noted Evers was not in the building at the time of the initial accident.
The different offices of the Capitol have their own respective concealed firearm policies, of which multiple allow permitted concealed weapons. However, open carry is strictly forbidden in the Capitol, according to state law.
The Madison Police Department said in a bulletin released to Capitol workers that the man does not have a vehicle but likely has access to a large amount of weapons and is “comfortable using them.”
