The person of interest in custody over the fatal Christmas parade crash in Wisconsin that left five people dead and dozens injured has been identified.
Darrell Brooks, 39, is currently being questioned over the deadly crash in Waukesha on Sunday afternoon, law enforcement sources told NBC News.
He has not been charged.
Brooks had only recently been released on bond stemming from a Nov. 5 case in Wisconsin’s Milwaukee County where he is charged with resisting or obstructing an officer, reckless endangering safety, disorderly conduct, bail jumping and battery, according to online court records.
Records show his $1,000 cash bond was dated last Friday, but it wasn’t immediately clear when he was released. The online records indicate his bond was posted with the local sheriff on Nov 11.
In another case dated July last year, Brooks is charged with reckless endangering and illegal possession of a firearm, records show.
Police haven’t publicly identified Brooks as the “person of interest” they are holding, but officials earlier said the driver may have a lengthy criminal history.
They are investigating allegations the driver was fleeing a separate incident that involved a knife fight just prior to the parade bloodbath.
Five people were killed and more than 40 injured, including children, when a red SUV blew past police barricades and plowed into a group of people marching in the annual Christmas parade shortly after 4:40 p.m. local time.
Police Chief Daniel Thompson confirmed late Sunday that a person of interest was in custody but gave no additional details or any possible motive.
Brooks was taken into custody after a cop opened fire to try to stop the SUV, authorities said.
Thompson said he didn’t know if the driver was hit by the officer’s bullets but said no bystanders were shot.
Horrifying video that captured the carnage showed the SUV approaching a marching band before accelerating and crashing into spectators, dancers and musicians.
The city was livestreaming the annual parade at the time and the SUV could be seen speeding past just moments before screams rang out.
The five people killed haven’t been identified by authorities, but the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies group posted on Facebook that some of its members were among the dead.
This is an excerpt from the New York Post.
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