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What witnesses saw after Waukesha police deploy taser on man in library basement

What witnesses saw after Waukesha police deploy taser on man in library basement
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WAUKESHA, Wis. — Waukesha Police chased a man into the basement of a local library and deployed a taser Thursday night, only to learn he was not the suspect they had been searching for.

Thursday, around 8 p.m., Waukesha Police say they were following up on an investigation that led them to the library looking for a suspect.

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“All of a sudden I hear police cars coming. It is like, one, two, three. So I went out and looked and it was like all of a sudden 12 cop cars,” Paul Sobczak said who lives across the library.

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Paul Sobczak lives across the street from the library.

Inside the library, workers told TMJ4 News police came in, did not speak to library staff, and instead started to approach a man. They said the man ran off, heading for a stairwell that was supposed to be only for staff.

Watch: What witnesses saw after Waukesha police deploy taser on man in library basement

What witnesses saw after Waukesha police deploy taser on man in library basement

Workers say police chased after the man into the basement. Police say they deployed a taser and took the man into custody. It was then that they said they learned that he was not the suspect they were looking for.

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Waukesha Police outside the Waukesha Library.

“I heard them say that they had the whole building surrounded,” Sobczak said.

Justice Herod had been at the library Thursday night and had left about an hour before the police arrived.

“It was pretty busy,” Herod said. “I certainly hope they found their guy.”

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Justice Herod

Waukesha Police say the man provided no details as to why he ran from them.

“There was a lot of them here, and it was kind of freaky,” Sobczak said.

There is no word on whether the person the police were originally searching for was caught.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.


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