Crime & Safety
Dane County, WI: Man Arrested After Late-Night Knife Incident
MADISON, WI – A late night emergency alert involving a man with a knife near the University of Wisconsin Madison campus ended with an arrest early Friday morning after an off duty university police of
By Erin Vale · 2026-10-09T23:30:45.945Z
MADISON, WI – A late night emergency alert involving a man with a knife near the University of Wisconsin Madison campus ended with an arrest early Friday morning after an off duty university police officer spotted the suspect several hours after the initial incident.
According to the University of Wisconsin Madison Police Department , an off campus emergency alert was issued at approximately 11:55 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, following a reported weapons incident on Langdon Street.
Authorities said the male suspect fled the area and could not immediately be located, prompting the university police department to notify the campus community.
Shortly after 2 a.m. Friday, an off duty UW Madison police officer heading home from his shift spotted a man believed to be the suspect on Monroe Street near Randall Avenue.
The officer relayed the information to responding personnel, who located and arrested Rudy Garcia, 31, of Madison.
During a search following the arrest, officers recovered a knife believed to be connected to the earlier Langdon Street incident, along with drugs and drug paraphernalia.
Police also determined that Garcia had an active felony warrant.
He was subsequently booked into the Dane County Jail on tentative charges of felony bail jumping, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The Madison Police Department is expected to pursue additional charges related to the original weapons incident on Langdon Street, according to university police.
The incident occurred near the UW Madison campus, where Langdon Street is surrounded by student housing, university facilities and other heavily traveled pedestrian areas.
Police have not released additional details about what allegedly occurred during the initial confrontation or whether anyone was directly threatened or injured.
The department credited the off duty officer's observations with helping locate the suspect.
Garcia is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.