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The Waukesha County territory lawyer said “there are not words to picture the risk” posed by the antheral accused of driving done a Christmas parade successful Wisconsin and striking dozens.
Nov. 23, 2021, 7:34 p.m. ET
WAUKESHA, Wis. — The reserve constabulary serviceman radioed successful with an alarming report. Two radical witnessed a fight, perchance involving knives, extracurricular the Rotary Building astatine a riverfront parkland successful Waukesha, Wis.
Within seconds, respective officers said they would caput there. The dispatcher told them to hurry. But erstwhile the archetypal patrolman arrived, adjacent the spot wherever kayaks are rented retired successful little frigid months, immoderate combat mightiness person happened was over.
“I’m by the Rotary Building and the shot diamond,” the serviceman said, his dependable calm. “There’s thing here.”
About a infinitesimal later, panic crackled crossed the constabulary scanner. The operator of a maroon S.U.V. was charging done the Waukesha Christmas parade connected Main Street, not acold from the park, barreling implicit marching set members and a troupe of Dancing Grannies. He wasn’t stopping.
The authorities successful Waukesha accused Darrell E. Brooks, 39, of sidesplitting six radical and wounding much than 60 others successful the onslaught astatine the parade connected Sunday evening. They said helium had been fleeing a adjacent home quality that whitethorn person progressive a weapon — an evident notation to the earlier incidental astatine the park.
Mr. Brooks, who cried astatine the defence array successful his archetypal tribunal quality connected Tuesday afternoon, was charged with 5 counts of first-degree intentional homicide and ordered held connected $5 cardinal currency bail. Prosecutors said they learned of the sixth death, of an 8-year-old boy, connected Tuesday and intended to record different homicide charge.
“There are not words to picture the hazard that this suspect presents to our community,” Susan L. Opper, the Waukesha County territory attorney, said successful court, wherever she referred to accounts by detectives who said Mr. Brooks had seemed to intentionally steer into people.
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“He was told to halt by constabulary officers,” Ms. Opper said. “They risked their ain information to effort to measurement successful beforehand of the car to halt him. Everything was done to get him to halt — and helium conscionable simply continued down the roadway, causing decease and destruction.”
Kevin Costello, the tribunal commissioner who presided implicit the bail hearing, granted prosecutors’ petition for the $5 cardinal bail.
“It’s an extraordinarily superior case, with an bonzer past of this man — of fleeing, of hurting people, of not pursuing tribunal orders, not pursuing transgression laws, not pursuing conscionable your societal norms,” Mr. Costello said.
A lawyer for Mr. Brooks said small successful court, but told the tribunal that his lawsuit was indigent. Mr. Brooks, who wore a acheronian greenish vest and achromatic look mask, hung his caput for astir of the hearing.
On Tuesday, arsenic immoderate victims remained hospitalized, Waukesha residents were inactive trying to portion unneurotic what had happened successful their usually calm downtown implicit the weekend. With nationalist schools successful the Milwaukee suburb closed again connected Tuesday, flags flew astatine half-staff and buses displayed the connection “Waukesha Strong.”
The constabulary person provided lone constricted details astir the attack, and did not respond to questions astir whether the home incidental Mr. Brooks was accused of fleeing was the combat reported astatine the park. No akin disputes were discussed successful the minutes earlier the onslaught connected a Waukesha constabulary scanner provender published online by Broadcastify.
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Greg Legate, who lives astir fractional a mile from the extremity of the parade route, said helium called the constabulary connected Sunday evening aft coming upon a stranger, aboriginal identified arsenic Mr. Brooks, lasting connected his next-door neighbor’s porch. Mr. Legate said helium had conscionable returned location from the parade, wherever helium and his household saw an older pistillate deed by the S.U.V. alert into the aerial and onshore connected the curb successful beforehand of them, seemingly dead.
“I knew they were looking for idiosyncratic and figured it was the feline from the parade due to the fact that that was the absorption helium was heading,” Mr. Legate said.
When helium archetypal approached his neighbour and Mr. Brooks, Mr. Legate sensed thing was wrong. His neighbor, helium said, whose doorbell camera recorded footage of their encounter, seemed unaware of the manhunt astatine the time.
“I didn’t attraction whether helium was the feline oregon not,” Mr. Legate said, “it was my work to call.”
Without uttering a word, Mr. Legate went astir the country successful the acheronian to dial 911, lasting down his house. Mr. Brooks, helium said, “was conscionable looking astatine maine funny.”
“When I went astir the corner,” Mr. Legate continued, “he was looking astir to spot wherever I was going.”
To the dispatcher, Mr. Legate recalled saying, “The antheral that you are looking for, I believe, is astatine my neighbor’s house.”
Within a infinitesimal of the 911 call, helium said, the constabulary were there. Mr. Legate said helium and his friends sat successful their car and watched portion officers took Mr. Brooks into custody.
“They were determination with guns drawn and telling the antheral to enactment his hands up,” Mr. Legate said connected Tuesday. “It was fast.”
Mr. Brooks, who did not talk successful court, had been arrested successful the Milwaukee country repeatedly implicit the years, accused astatine assorted points of artillery and home maltreatment and resisting the police. Prosecutors connected Tuesday spent respective minutes describing his transgression grounds from respective Wisconsin counties, arsenic good arsenic for a enactment transgression successful Nevada, wherever determination is an progressive warrant for his arrest, and a caller apprehension successful Georgia.
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A pistillate who had a kid with Mr. Brooks astir 2 decades agone said successful an interrogation connected Tuesday that his temper was easy ignited. The woman, who spoke connected the information of anonymity due to the fact that she did not privation herself oregon her kid to beryllium publically associated with Mr. Brooks, said that she knew helium had choler issues, but that helium had ne'er been abusive toward her.
Just a fewer weeks ago, prosecutors successful Milwaukee County said Mr. Brooks intentionally ran implicit different pistillate helium knew with a maroon Ford Escape.
Prosecutors said they had erred successful recommending a $1,000 currency bail successful that case. Mr. Brooks posted that bail, past was held successful custody for a fewer days portion awaiting transportation to Waukesha County for a warrant issued implicit unpaid kid support. He was sent to the jailhouse successful Waukesha connected Nov. 16 and released aboriginal that time aft telling a justice helium had missed the enactment payments due to the fact that helium had been jailed successful Georgia.
Days aft his release, connected what had been a celebratory night, with a beloved parade returning from a pandemic hiatus and children lining the streets, Mr. Brooks was backmost successful Waukesha. Police officers and prosecutors said helium seemed to maximize harm arsenic helium rampaged done the parade route.
“It looks similar determination was either panic oregon whatever, oregon an intentional enactment for immoderate reason,” Mr. Costello said. “You don’t bash good nether pressure.”
Shaila Dewan and Robert Chiarito contributed reporting. Kitty Bennett contributed research.
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