WAUKESHA, WIS. An SUV sped into a Christmas parade in the Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha on Sunday, leaving multiple people injured, according to local officials and witnesses.
Police in Waukesha, located about 20 miles west of Milwaukee, were urging people to avoid the downtown area.
A live video feed of the parade from the city of Waukesha, as well as videos taken by parade attendees, showed a red SUV breaking through barriers and speeding into the roadway where the parade was taking place. It’s unclear how many people were injured. Police said they could not immediately provide details but scheduled a news conference near the parade route for 7:30 p.m. CST.
Mayor Shawn Reilly told WITI in Milwaukee that he did not believe there was any current danger to the public. Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow told The Associated Press that there were multiple injuries, but he did not know how many or if anyone had been killed. Farrow was at the parade but left just before the incident occurred. He said he was on his way home when he saw police cars responding.
One video shows the SUV striking what appears to be members of a marching band and several others along the parade route before driving on. The sound of the marching band heard before the SUV approaches is replaced by screams.
Angelito Tenorio, a West Allis alderman who is running for Wisconsin state treasurer, told the AP that he was watching the parade with his family when they saw the SUV come speeding into the area.
“Then we heard a loud bang,” Tenorio said. “And after that, we just heard deafening cries and screams from the crowd, from the people at the parade. And people started rushing, running away with tears in their eyes crying.”
Tenorio said he saw about 10 people, children and adults, on the ground who appeared to have been hit by the vehicle.
“It just happened so fast,” he said. “It was pretty horrifying.”
