Texas has always been the land of rugged individuals, but it appears they are also the land of loonies. Thursday Police in Plano had to confront one of the craziest yet. A spokesman for the Plano Police Department said that officers answered a disturbance call only to find a man waiving a samurai sword. After several minutes of trying to calm the man and get him to put down the weapon, officers had to take him down using non-lethal force.

Officers said the the man was wearing what appears to be a ninja mask, cape and some kind of protective vest when he was confronted and was seen wielding a sword as he walked down Independence Parkway near Hagen Street just before 10 a.m in Plano. People passing by called 911 and officers arrived and tried to get him to peacefully surrender. But he would not comply and as Police closed down Independence Parkway in both directions the man moved into the street putting both himself and officers in danger.

“When you’re dealing with someone with a sword, you want to keep your distance away,” said Plano Police Officer David Tilley. “So a taser isn’t a viable option.” Officers were finally able to encircle the man but by that time officers arrived, the masked man was at the intersection of Hagen Drive.

The man could be seen on video striking different poses with the sword. “Every once in a while he would get into some kind of defensive stance, he didn’t want to surrender,” said witness Daniel Stockham, who recorded parts of the incident on his smart phone.

Police said it was clear early on, after trying to talk to the man, they were dealing with someone who may be on drugs or have a mental condition. Relying on crisis intervention training, officers decided to use non-lethal force — a gun that shoots small rubber projectiles.

Stockham said officers fired three times. “That convinced him to surrender and he put his sword down and got down on his hands and knees,” Stockham said.

And the public thinks Cops don’t do anything except eat donuts.