The man suspected of crashing his SUV into a Wisconsin parade, killing five people and wounding 48 more, was a registered sex offender in Nevada with an outstanding arrest warrant.
According to court papers, he was also freed on bail this month after reportedly driving over a woman who claimed to be the mother of his child. Waukesha Police Chief Dan Thompson said the lone suspect in Sunday’s parade tragedy had been identified as a 39-year-old Milwaukee resident named Darrell E. Brooks.
Brooks was involved in a domestic incident earlier Sunday and fled the scene moments before driving his SUV into the procession. Among the victims were members of the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies. Officers attempted to stop Brooks in his SUV as he approached the procession, but Brooks drove right through the barricades. Police said Brooks was likely uninjured when they shot at the SUV.
At least 18 children were hospitalized, while the five deceased victims vary in age from 52 to 81. Brooks may face five counts of intentional homicide, along with possible other charges related to the incident.
For running over the woman earlier in the month, Brooks had been charged with obstructing an officer, second-degree recklessly endangering safety with domestic abuse assessments, disorderly conduct with domestic abuse assessments, and misdemeanor violence with domestic abuse assessments.
Apart from running over the mother of his child, criminal records showed that Brooks was also a registered sex offender. According to court and jail records, Brooks pled guilty to statutory sexual seduction in November 2006. Additional information on the case was not immediately available.
Brooks completed his term at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center from March 2007 to September 2008. Brooks is a registered sex offender in Nevada, according to the state’s sex offender registry.
Brooks also has a warrant out of Nevada for another case in which he was detained and skipped bail. According to Sarah Johns, a spokesman for the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, the warrant was issued on August 15, 2016.