Dousman bar re-opens after man attacks customer with machete
Update on Friday, May 31 at 4:15 p.m.
DOUSMAN, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A hometown bar is pushing forward after a man attempted to rob them with a machete.
According to police, on Thursday around 2:00 a.m., a man armed with a machete wearing a Halloween mask entered Dousman House Tavern at 128 N. Main St. demanding money. The suspect began to swing the machete at a patron who was seated at the bar, causing lacerations to his head, arm, and abdomen. The 53-year-old suspect was later arrested after being ejected from his car before it rammed into a tree.
The owner of the restaurant next door, Brick House Mercantile, tells CBS 58 he saw the damage on his way to work Thursday morning.
"I saw the police cars and utility trucks on the side of the road, and I'm like, 'I wonder what happened?' Then, you could see tire tracks, and you could see them running up to the tree," owner Joe Bahr said.
Bahr said once he learned about the incident, he was taken aback.
"I think our initial reaction was shock. Who wouldn't be shocked?" he said.
While this type of attack is uncommon in Dousman, Bahr said his team will now be more cautious.
"We decided to revisit our safety protocol in the event something like this happens. We have that for severe weather because we host dinners here. It just made us think about that again," he explained. "Just the fact that it can happen anywhere. Just keep that in mind. No one is immune."
On Friday, Dousman House Tavern re-opened, not letting what happened that night stop them from serving customers. The owner of the bar, Bryant, posted a statement about the attack on Facebook.
"I never thought that I/we would be dealing with this in the small village of Dousman," the post read. "I love this community and I love the people in the community."
The owner went on to call the two patrons who were inside during the robbery heroes and asked for prayers and the one who was injured was hospitalized and said he plans to hold a fundraiser to help them with their recovery.
DOUSMAN, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A man wearing a Halloween mask, who police say was armed with a machete, is accused of injuring a bar patron during an attempted armed robbery.
The incident happened around 2 a.m. at the Dousman House Tavern, located on Main Street in Dousman.
According to police, the suspect entered the tavern and demanded money from the bartender. Police say after demanding cash, the suspect "suddenly began to swing the machete" at a bar patron, causing lacerations to his head, arm and abdomen.
The suspect then ran to a nearby vehicle and left the scene in a northerly direction.
A Summit Police Department detective responding to the tavern encountered the suspect driving in a grassy ditch. The suspect reportedly fled from the detective at a high rate of speed before striking a culvert, going airborne and striking a We Energies pole -- coming to rest against a tree.
The driver was ejected from the vehicle and sustained non-life-threatening injuries. He was identified as a 53-year-old man.
The victim injured by the machete, a 50-year-old man, was taken to a local hospital and is expected to survive.
Police say the suspect was arrested on charges of attempted armed robbery, operating while intoxicated (3rd offense), and violation of probation. Charges are being referred to the Waukesha County District Attorney's Office.