Fatalities, more than 20 hurt after vehicle ploughs through parade in Wisconsin

A sport utility vehicle ploughed through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on Sunday striking more than 20 people including children and causing “some fatalities,” the city’s police chief said.

Waukesha Police Chief Dan Thompson said a person of interest was in custody and the suspect vehicle had been recovered after the incident in Waukesha, about 32km west of Milwaukee, Reuters reported.

“A red SUV drove into our Christmas parade that we were holding downtown. More than 20 individuals were injured as a result of this incident,” Thompson told reporters.

Asked about the fatalities, Thompson said: “I don’t have an exact number at this time.”

It was not known whether the incident was related to terrorism, he added.

A video posted online of the incident showed a red SUV ploughing through the parade, appearing to run over more than a dozen people.

In a second video, police appeared to open fire on the vehicle as it crashed through street barriers.

Photos and videos of Waukesha circulating on Twitter showed police cars and ambulances crowding a street decked out with Christmas lights in the aftermath of the incident. Bundled up people huddled on sidewalks as dusk fell.

Some of the injured were taken to the hospital by ambulance, others by police and still more by family and friends, Thompson said.