‘Multiple injuries’ as SUV plows into Christmas parade
Multiple people have reportedly been injured after a red SUV sped into a Christmas parade in Wisconsin today.
Video from a live feed of the scene appears to show the vehicle quickly approaching the marchers in a western suburb of Milwaukee.
Police then reportedly opened fire as it crashed through street barriers.
Among those hurt were elderly women who were part of a ‘Dancing Grannies’ float and those in a children’s dance group, according to reports.
Police said a ‘person of interest’ had been detained and the vehicle recovered.
Kaylee Staral, an intern with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel witnessed the incident.
She told CNN: ‘Probably around 20 to 30 minutes into the parade, a red SUV came running down the middle of the street – there were a lot of screams – and we almost thought maybe it was Santa, but it was a red SUV and it hit a lot of people.
She said that after the car left there were ‘multiple people on the ground’, adding that police said 30 people could have been affected.
‘Right in front of me in the little spot where I was sitting, probably four people were down,’ she said.
She said she believed these four people were still breathing but they were ‘not moving’.
Waukesha Police Department posted on their Facebook page that people should ‘avoid the downtown area for the time being’.
They said that a family reunification location is at the Metro Transit Center by Bank Street.
Angelito Tenorio, a West Allis alderman who is running for Wisconsin state treasurer, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he was watching the parade with his family when they saw the vehicle come speeding into the area.
He told the newspaper: ‘We heard a loud bang, and just deafening cries and screams from people who are who are struck by the vehicle.
‘Then we saw people running away or stopping crying, and there, there are people on the ground who looked like they’d been hit by the vehicle.’
Waukesha mayor Shawn Reilly told WITI television station that there were people injured but he does not believe there is any current danger to the public
Wisconsin Governer Tony Evers said: ‘Kathy and I are praying for Waukesha tonight and all the kids, families, and community members affected by this senseless act.
‘I’m grateful for the first responders and folks who acted quickly to help, and we are in contact with local partners as we await more information.’
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