WAUKESHA, WIS. – An SUV plowed into a Christmas parade in the Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha on Sunday, injuring more than 20 people, the city’s police chief said.
Police Chief Dan Thompson said the investigation was still ongoing, but a “suspicious vehicle” had been recovered. Some of the injured were taken to the hospital by police, and others were taken away by family members, Thompson said.
“We have an interested person that we’re looking at at this time,” Thompson said. It is not clear whether the person is in custody; Thompson delayed the questions until a later meeting.
Mayor Shawn Reilly told WITI in Milwaukee that he does not believe there is any danger present to the public.
Police in Waukesha, about 20 miles west of Milwaukee, are urging people to avoid the downtown area.
A live video feed of the parade from the city of Waukesha, as well as videos filmed by parade attendees, shows a red SUV breaking through barriers and speeding into the roadway where the show will take place. out parade.
A video taken along the parade route shows a group of what appear to be teenage girls dancing in white tunics and Santa hats. The SUV plowed into the group as the cameraman shouted, “God!” more and more. The video shows people taking care of at least one of the girls on the ground.
Another video shows the SUV featured with what appear to be members of a marching band and several others along the parade route before continuing on. The sound of the marching band heard before the SUV approached was replaced by screams.
Corey Montiho, a Waukesha school board member, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that his daughter’s dance team was hit by an SUV.
“They were pom-poms, shoes and spilled hot chocolate everywhere. I had to go from crumpled body to body to find my daughter,” he said. “My wife and two daughters almost got shot. Please pray for everyone. Please pray.”
Angelito Tenorio, a West Allis farmer running for Wisconsin state treasurer, told The Associated Press he was watching the parade with his family when they saw the SUV speeding into the area.
“Then we heard a loud bang,” said Tenorio. “And then we just heard crying and screaming from the crowd, from the people present at the parade. And people started rushing, running away with tears in their eyes.”
Tenorio said he saw about 10 people, children and adults, on the ground, who appeared to have been hit by the vehicle.
“It all happened so fast,” he said. “It was pretty horrifying.”
The parade was sponsored by the city’s Chamber of Commerce. This year’s edition is the 59th edition of the event held annually on the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
Waukesha is a western suburb of Milwaukee, and about 55 miles north of Kenosha, where Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted on Friday of charges related to the shooting of three men during unrest in Texas. that city in August 2020.
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