SUV ploughs into Christmas parade in Wisconsin; multiple fatalities, over 20 hurt

The suspect who was behind the wheels of the red-colour Sports Utility Vehicle has been taken into custody

 A Sports Utility Vehicle ploughed into a parade at Waukesha in the midwestern American state of Wisconsin causing fatalities and injuries to more than 20 people. The suspect who was behind the wheels of the red-colour SUV has been taken into custody, the Waukesha police chief informed. Among those injured are children. 

Waukesha Police Department chief Daniel Thompson said that that one of his officers opened fire on the suspect vehicle. He further said that the exact number of fatalities is not being revealed at the moment as his officers were still notifying the families. The police are yet to declare the incident as an act of terror. Waukesha's fire chief said the fire department transported 12 juveniles, were among the 23 people who were rushed to six different hospitals after the SUV rammed into the holiday parade.

A video doing the round on Twitter showed the SUV ploughing into a marching band and others along the parade route before driving on. Eyewitnesses reported hearing screams replacing the band tunes and people running for shelter as the SUV rammed into the Christmas parade. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation will assist the local authorities in carrying out the investigation into the case.

Giving further details, the police chief said that the investigation into the incident is still in a very fluid phase. Earlier in the day, the White House expressed its grief over the incident and said that it was closely monitoring the situation in Waukesha. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers termed the incident as senseless and said that he and his wife were praying for those impacted by it.