Waukesha, Wisconsin, police say at least five people are dead and 40 were injured after a red SUV ran through the city’s Christmas parade, plowing into many people, including small children. Graphic videos from the November 21, 2021, incident emerged from the scene. You can watch some later in this article but be forewarned they are disturbing.
Heavy learned an ID was found in the red Ford Escape in the name of Darrell Brooks Jr. The suspect taken into custody also gave his name as Darrell Brooks, according to the scanner. The police chief said in a late-night news conference that police had a “person of interest,” whom he did not name. Authorities have not released the names of any suspects, though NBC News reported that police sources have confirmed Brooks is the person of interest. Brooks is not listed in the Waukesha County Jail database.
“Five law enforcement officials say that Darrell Brooks, age 39, from Wisconsin is the individual in custody as a person of interest and is being questioned by law enforcement in connection with the vehicle incident in Waukesha,” NBC News’ Tom Winter tweeted on Monday morning, November 22, 2021.
Local residents told Heavy their loved ones were barricaded in stores after a vehicle drove through the crowd; many people said they heard gunshots and believed the suspect was shooting from the vehicle, but the police chief Dan Thompson said he doesn’t believe shots were fired from the SUV. “An officer did discharge his weapon at the suspect vehicle to try to stop the suspect vehicle,” he said. No people were injured by the gunfire.
Authorities initially said 11 adults and 12 children were transported to six area hospitals. Their conditions were not publicly revealed. The City of Waukesha later said that five people died and more than 40 were injured in the incident. “However, these numbers may change as we collect additional information. Many people have self-transported to area hospitals,” they wrote.
A local resident sent Heavy a photo of the driver in the red SUV but asked not to be identified out of fear for her safety. She said she was standing next to the person who took the photo. “It’s the driver,” she said. “He was feet away from me. I’m in shock.”
The driver of the red SUV that plowed through the crowd at the Waukesha Christmas parade on November 21 in Wisconsin.Special to Heavy
The same local resident also sent Heavy an image of what appears to be the SUV in the midst of a marching band.
Special to Heavy
Heavy confirmed that two Milwaukee police squads were outside the home listed to Brooks on N. 19th St. in Milwaukee. Brooks has open felony cases in Milwaukee County. He was released on $1,000 bail in one case just days before the parade, according to court records.
Wisconsin Department of JusticeDarrell Brooks.
ALSO READ: Who Is Darrell Brooks Wife? Waukesha Wisconsin Suspect Married Life, Wikipedia & Instagram
Heavy discovered that a red vehicle similar to the Escape actually shows up on Google Maps for the address listed to Brooks in Wisconsin online court records.
Google MapsAn image from Google Maps of a red SUV parked in front of the address listed in court records for Brooks.
In addition, a red Ford Escape is registered to an older woman who lives at the home, a law enforcement source told Heavy. Brooks gave that address as his home address in a Wisconsin felony case filed only days before the Waukesha parade carnage.
Video from the scene shows the red SUV running people over. The Waukesha South High School marching band was among those hit, according to a man who was there.
Local residents reported many people lying on the ground, injured or dead. A law enforcement source said one of two suspects is in custody; another is being sought. The police chief would say only that police have apprehended a “person of interest.” Listen to scanner audio later in this article.
Waukesha is a suburban city in a conservative, affluent county next to Milwaukee County. Wisconsin has been riven with divisions over the Kyle Rittenhouse acquittal in Kenosha, which is about an hour away from Waukesha.
The Waukesha Christmas parade, which goes through the downtown, is a mainstay in that community of about 72,000 people. A witness at the scene said local well-known Black Lives Matter activists, including one man who was prominently protesting the Rittenhouse trial, showed up at the scene of the parade incident to survey the aftermath, as did many others. Police have said nothing yet on motive or suspect name(s).
“Several LE sources say preliminary: Wisconsin incident appears to be vehicle fleeing a separate crime scene (stabbing) when it plowed into parade. One person in custody. Investigation ongoing but so far no initial link to terror or the recent Rittenhouse verdict w/@tom_winter,” NBC reporter Jonathan Dienst wrote on Twitter. David Begnaud of CBS News tweeted that, according to a law enforcement official, the parade suspect was “fleeing another scene – possibly a knife fight” before injuring at least 40 people in the parade.
The Milwaukee Dancing Grannies confirmed on Facebook that members of the group died.
“The Milwaukee Dancing Grannies are (devastated) by this terrible (tragedy) with of loss of life and injuries in the Waukesha Christmas parade,” they wrote. “Our group was doing what they loved, performing in front of crowds in a parade putting smiles on faces of all ages, filling them with joy and happiness. While performing the grannies enjoyed hearing the crowds cheers and applause which certainly brought smiles to their faces and warmed their hearts. Those who died were extremely passionate Grannies. Their eyes gleamed…..joy of being a Grannie. They were the glue….held us together. Our hearts are heavy at this most difficult time, as more information and updates become available it will be posted . Please keep them their families, friends, the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies and everyone who lives have forever changed in your thoughts and prayers.”
Here’s what you need to know:
A Man Described How the SUV Came a Foot From His Son & Said, ‘They Have a Whole Block of Main Street That Is Casualties’
Video of the parade incident was captured live on the city’s Facebook page.
One man, who said his son was almost struck by the SUV, told Heavy the scene “looked like a war zone.”
“We just heard screaming up the parade route and looked over, and the red jeep or SUV came barreling through,” Michael Hurst, a woodworker from Waukesha whose son was almost hit by the truck, told Heavy in a phone interview. “I pulled my son away. He probably got missed by about a foot. There was a little kid next to us that got hit. I did see dead bodies. The amount of people who are going to be dead from this, it might even be worse than that Las Vegas shooting. They have a whole block of Main Street that is casualties. We did hear that there were active shooters. We don’t know where that came from or if that’s true. The police pulled me into a building and said to stay in there, get in there, there’s active shooters. One officer told us they did stop the active shooters. My son was out in that street grabbing candy.”
He added: “At that moment I thought just to grab my son and family and get them on the curb. It was 100% intentional.”
Hurst believes the truck drove through the parade for about a mile. “I saw a young boy get hit. He was still alive. He was in a lot of pain. I am pretty sure he was going to have broken legs. I did see another guy who was laying in the street. I guarantee he was dead. There were about 20 ambulances coming and going. It looked like a war zone down there.”
An eyewitness at the parade route, Beth Ginnow-Mandl, told Heavy she saw the suspect’s face as the SUV drove past. “Couple dead right around us,” she said. “We all were screaming and running into a building. Store owner let us in. Went out to get a lay of the land. Incredible first responders doing cpr on at least 10 people around us. Ambulances came quick. We locked down an hour or so. Most harrowing thing we have ever witnessed. Saw driver’s face – focused. Intent.”
Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly said, “Tonight was a traumatic situation for the City of Waukesha. We don’t have all the details.” He said in a second press conference, “Today we experienced a horrible, senseless tragedy. I walked in the parade at the beginning. I saw all of the happy children sitting on the curb. … I can still see the smiling faces. A parade is a celebration for our community.”
The chief said that at 4:39 p.m. on November 21, 2021, a red SUV “drove into our Christmas parade. … More than 20 individuals were injured.” He said the SUV drove through barricades down Main Street. “It struck more than 20 individuals. Some were children, and there were some fatalities as a result of this incident.” The names of victims and the number of those dead were not released. He said it’s not clear whether the incident has any “nexus to terrorism.”
Thompson said the Waukesha police department has “recovered a suspect vehicle. It’s an ongoing investigation. The victims were transported from the scene via ambulance. Officers transported some of the injured people and took them to the hospital. It’s a very tragic incident. Very chaotic. There are no other threats involved.”
A woman in the below video told police, “There are so many down.”
The Abandoned SUV Was Recovered in a Driveway & a Woman Says a Man Who May Be the Suspect Knocked on Her Relative’s Door
The abandoned SUV was later located by police officers in a driveway, according to scanner audio. An officer said on the police radio that a bullet struck the windshield but there was no evidence anyone inside the vehicle was hit. According to the scanner, police found the suspect’s ID in the vehicle and a Ford key on him.
Another witness told Heavy she saw a red SUV driving down the road. It hit a male who went flying into the air in front of her. It continued on, she said, and she heard screaming.
A woman wrote Heavy, “(A relative) lives in Waukesha, a black guy with dreads knocked on her door shortly after the incident at the parade. She wouldn’t let him in and he proceeded to go across the street trying to break into a building. My daughter called 911 with a description and they said they think he was driving the SUV that drove into all the people.” Police have not confirmed the suspect description, but they did describe the suspect as possibly being a “Black male” on the scanner. A more specific description was not given.
A man wrote Heavy: “My friend was approached by the people in the car. One was arrested, other two on the run. They asked to use his phone. 3 African Americans, early 20’s, dreadlocks.” We are not printing his name, either, for his own protection, but we have it.
He added: “He’s at the station now. It looked like they ditched the car. He used the phone and they have the fingerprints. He said it looked like they were ditching clothes.”
These are preliminary accounts from eyewitnesses and other local residents, and sometimes preliminary reports can be wrong.
Listen to the archived scanner audio below.
According to police scanner audio, a police officer could be heard on the radio at 4:39 p.m. saying, “There’s a car going westbound approaching the parade course. A red Escape. Black male. I couldn’t stop him. He’s going westbound blowing his horn.”
Another police officer said a “maroon Ford Escape just blew by me White Rock and Hartwell heading toward the parade route.” About a minute later, an officer called for help and said, “Sounds like a car sped through westbound Main” and said people had been “ran over” with “multiple casualties,” calling for multiple ambulances to respond.
A frantic officer then got on the radio and said, “We have about 10 to 15 people down in the street. … We need all available units to the downtown.” He then got back onto the radio and yelled, “I’ve got about 30 people down.” The officer then corrected himself, saying there were 40 casualties down Main Street. Another officer said a woman was not conscious and not breathing. “Casualty” refers to both injured and deceased victims.
The second file captures the aftermath.
“Alert all the hospitals,” an officer yelled.
Jim PiwowarczykThe scene in downtown Waukesha following the incident at the city’s Christmas parade.
Police were still searching for the vehicle and suspect as of 4:47 p.m., according to an officer’s radio transmission. He said they were looking for a red Ford Escape SUV with “heavy front end damage” heading southbound away from the parade. Another officer said he had fired shots at the SUV when it was driving through the parade area. Police later found the vehicle.
Disturbing Videos Captured the Incident
A live video may have captured the vehicle, screams and a law enforcement officer running. Officers were frantic, yelling, even screaming on the scanner.
One graphic video shows bodies lying on the ground as people rush to help. “Oh my God!” a woman screams repeatedly in it. Another video shows people from the crowd tending to victims on the ground.
In one video posted on Instagram a young man yells for his mother and tries to get his family to safety as confusion continues in the street. “There’s shots fired now, guys,” he says in the Instagram video as kids cry in the background. “It’s f****** chaos. That was the worse thing I’ve ever seen in my life.” A man wails, “What is wrong with the world right now?” Be forewarned that the video contains graphic language and is disturbing.
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Kaylee Staral, whose Twitter page describes her as a business reporting intern with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, wrote on Twitter, “UPDATE: A car just ran through the middle of a downtown Waukesha parade. Multiple people on the ground injured.” She wrote that police were shouting that 30 people were injured.
Scanner traffic indicated that authorities had coded victims into different categories — red, yellow, green and black — although it’s not clear what that means at this point.
People Said a ‘Car Broke Through … Plowing Through Pedestrians’ & Shots Were Fired
Heavy spoke to multiple people with loved ones at the scene.
“Just talked to (a friend) – she said she saw bodies flying. They were shoot(ing) out the windows as they drove through, running people over,” a woman whose friend was there told Heavy. Her friend wrote her, “ppl driving through parade hurting people.”
Scanner traffic indicated people were transported to multiple hospitals, including Children’s Hospital. Police were checking businesses for victims. Scanner traffic indicated police were searching for two men.
“At the Waukesha Holiday parade and a car just broke through the police line, plowing through pedestrians and firing rounds out the window. Family and I are safe. Happened 20 feet in front of us,” a man wrote in a now-deleted post on Twitter.
Staral, the reporting intern, wrote on Twitter: “Police shouting at least 30 people down and that shots were fired.”
Staral wrote on Twitter, “Heavy police and ambulance presence now. Tons of families with children running to their cars to leave the scene.”
People Hid at Local Stores
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Heavy asked people in Waukesha to send us information about the parade incident if they had it. We received these comments:
“My brother is locked in…[a] store.. He said a car drove into the crowd firing shots.”
“My daughter is barricaded in a store with her husband and son.”
“My son is there & called me crying, He said a truck ran through the barricade.”
Another woman, who was in the parade, told Heavy she heard “that a car ran through the parade and multiple people down, little girl critically injured. Someone mentioned gunshots because as we were walking back towards my car everyone started running the opposite way and so we started running and stayed in a gas station until my sister … picked us up.”
