A dispute over a game of shuffleboard at Madhatter’s Bar allegedly caused a man to pull a knife on bar patrons Thursday night.

The three victims said Carlo Walkes, 27, became enraged while the four of them played a game of tabletop shuffleboard around 11 p.m. Thursday, according to a Madison Police Department report.

The report said the Madhatter’s bartender ordered the man to leave after he brandished the knife and called police when he refused. The three victims playing the game with Walkes, no permanent address, had only met him that night, according to the report.

Mike Verveer, Ald. District 4, said the suspect had caused problems in the bar on several other previous occasions.

“Luckily, it was definitely an uncommon occurrence for any sort of weapon, including a knife, to be used in a fight in any downtown or campus area bars,” Verveer said. “This is definitely an anomaly.”

Verveer said the majority of violent bar fights involve bottles and glass. The use of a knife or gun is very rare, he said.

MPD Lt. Dan Olivas said no one was injured in the incident, so it was recorded as a weapons violation.

“If you actually are swinging the knife at somebody trying to harm them, that would be a weapons assault,” he said.

Police arrested Walkes for disorderly conduct while armed, resisting and obstructing and a probation violation.