(Reuters) – At least some people were killed when a sports utility vehicle sped through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, yesterday, bowling over at least 20 people including several youngsters waving pompoms and a group of “Dancing Grannies”.
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 20 miles (32 km) west of Milwaukee.
“The vehicle struck more than 20 individuals. Some of the individuals were children and there are some fatalaties 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 shelter-in-place order had been lifted, police said.
A video posted online of the incident showed a red SUV plowing 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.
Thompson said an officer fired shots at the vehicle and no bystanders were injured.
Belen Santamaria, her husband, and their three-year old daughter were planning to join the parade with their Catholic Church. But Santamaria, a 39-year old Mexican factory worker, woke up on Sunday with a backache, so the family watched the procession from the sidewalk instead.
“The SUV came by at full speed,” said Santamaria. “Then I started to hear people screaming.”
She hid in a restaurant with their daughter while her husband, 39-year old delivery worker Jesus Ochoa, ran ahead to try to help injured people. He said he heard through other members of their church that roughly 10 members, mostly Latinos and both adults and children, are injured.
“I was going to be there, walking,” Santamaria said. “The SUV would have hit us too.”
A woman told Milwaukee’s Fox6 TV station that the SUV hit a dance team of girls between 9 and 15 years old. She said the immediate reaction was silence, followed by screaming, running and checking on those injured, Fox6 reported.
One witness said the driver hit the “Dancing Grannies” and at least one person flipped over the hood of the SUV, according to Milwaukee’s WISN-TV, an ABC affiliate.
