Car advances over Christmas parade in the US and leaves dozens dead and injured

A vehicle passed over a group accompanying a crowded Christmas parade on Sunday night (21) in the state of Wisconsin, in the United States, leaving more than 20 people injured and some dead, whose number was not needed by the police.

The case took place in the city of Waukesha, 32 kilometers from the capital Milwaukee, just before 5 pm local time (20 pm in Brasília). Witnesses and local media reported that shots were fired from the vehicle as it made its way through the parade, but police did not confirm the information and said it was not possible to know whether the case was related to terrorism.

Authorities arrested one person involved and seized the vehicle, the local police chief said, without giving further details. According to firefighters, 11 adults and 12 children were taken to hospitals.

The city hall’s webcast of the parade captured the moment when a red SUV swooped in on people. In another video, the police appeared to open fire on the vehicle, which crashes into the street barriers.

One woman told Fox6 TV network that the car hit a dancing group of girls between 9 and 15 years old. The witness reported that the immediate reaction was silence, followed by screaming, running and searching for the wounded.

Another witness reported that the driver hit a dancing group of elderly women and that at least one person flew over the hood of the car, according to WISN-TV of Milwaukee, a local affiliate of the ABC TV network. According to those present, the vehicle was traveling at a speed of about 65 km/h when it hit the crowd, the TV station said.

Photos and videos of Waukesha circulating on Twitter showed police cars and ambulances crowding a street bedecked with Christmas lights after the incident.

“As we walked back between the buildings, we saw an SUV cruising, which hit the accelerator and sped off at full speed towards the parade. And then we heard a big bang, with deafening screams and screams from people who were hit by the vehicle,” Angelito Tenorio, councilor in nearby West Allis, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.