Five people died and more than 40 injured after SUV speeds into Christmas parade in Waukesha. There were "some fatalities" after a vehicle rammed into a crowd at an annual holiday parade in Waukesha, a city in the US state of Wisconsin, a top police official said.
"We have a person of interest in custody at this moment," Thompson said, but did not give out any further information.
The incident took place at around 4.30 p.m. on Sunday in Waukesha, part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area, when a, SUV broke through the barriers and sped into the roadway where the Christmas parade was taking place, according to local media reports and several videos posted on social media.
Another smartphone video captured the vehicle running through the crowd, hitting pedestrians and accelerating throughout the route.
Police have shut down nearby streets and urged the public to avoid the downtown area.
The parade area has been evacuated, local media reported.
Meanwhile, a White House official has confirmed that President Joe Biden has been on the incident.
One video shows the SUV striking what appears to be members of a marching band and several others along the parade route before driving on. The sound of the marching band heard before the SUV approaches is replaced by screams.
Angelito Tenorio, a West Allis alderman who is running for Wisconsin state treasurer, told the AP that he was watching the parade with his family when they saw the SUV come speeding into the area.
"Then we heard a loud bang," Tenorio said. "And after that, we just heard deafening cries and screams from the crowd, from the people at the parade. And people started rushing, running away with tears in their eyes crying."
"It just happened so fast," he said. "It was pretty horrifying."
(With inputs from IANS and PTI)
