Police in Wisconsin say they have taken a person of interest into custody after an SUV drove into a Christmas parade in the city of Waukesha on Sunday night, killing five people and injuring at least 40 more.
Local police chief Dan Thompson said in a press conference that his department had detained the man in question and seized the red Ford Escape driven in the incident but that he did not yet know whether the driver’s actions had any connection to terrorism.
Witnesses described the car as having accelerated along the parade route and “going from side to side, targeting people”.
“The car bombed through. He was flying through there going intentionally from left to right,” bystander Tyler Kotlarek told The New York Times.
Angelito Tenorio, an alderman in nearby West Allis, agreed with that assessment and told the Associated Press that the driver “just put the pedal to the metal”.
Another eyewitness, Corey Montiho, told The Washington Post that he saw the driver behind the wheel and noted that he remained “calm and composed” as he drove into the marchers, consisting of cheerleaders, dance troupes and band members hoping to kick start the holiday season.
Four senior law enforcement officials have meanwhile told NBC News that investigators were examining the possibility that the suspect had been fleeing from an earlier incident involving a knife fight when he ran into the parade.
Responding to Sunday’s atrocity, Wisconsin attorney general Josh Kaul tweeted: “What took place in Waukesha today is sickening, and I have every confidence that those responsible will be brought to justice.”
Agents of the FBI and ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms bureau) are assisting the Waukesha Police Department with its investigation into the incident, with the situation on the ground said to remain “fluid”, with many city centre streets still closed off.
While the person of interest’s identity has yet to be disclosed by authorities and their name has not yet been listed on the Waukesha County Jail database, an individual has been named on social media and by other outlets.
