A Cicero man is being held in an Indiana jail after authorities found him marching shirtless down Interstate 65 wielding a 35-inch samurai sword Sunday afternoon.
State Police Trooper Ricky Rayner was investigating an abandoned white Toyota in the middle lane of Interstate 65 near Merrillville, Ind. when he spotted Bryon Womack, 43, "marching" down the inner shoulder of the highway, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
“The man was marching like a drum major, holding the sword, moving it up and down in rhythm with his marching cadence,” State Police told the Sun-Times.
Womack swung the sword defensively when Rayner approached, but dropped the sword at his order, the Sun-Times reports.
During the altercation, a passing Chevrolet SUV swerved onto the shoulder to avoid a stopped police car, and Womack tried to force himself into the vehicle, according to the Chicago Tribune. He then complied with a police order at gunpoint to hit the ground.
After his arrest, Womack was unable to identify himself to police, but told them he was "cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs," the Northwest Indiana Times reports.
Womack was charged with attempted car jacking, resisting law enforcement and possession of marijuana and is being held in a Lake County jail.