Darrell Brooks: Waukesha suspect caught by doorbell camera after parade tragedy
Wisconsin homeowner says he was ‘getting extra nervous’ as police arrived
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The 39-year-old man accused of driving an SUV into Christmas parade in a Wisconsin was allegedly caught by a doorbell camera shortly after killing five and injuring dozens more.
Darrell Brooks can be seen in the footage asking for an Uber roughly 20 minutes after his SUV crashed through a roadblock in Waukesha, where a parade was ongoing on Sunday.
As many as 40 bystanders and performers were injured and authorities in Waukesha have confirmed the deaths of five people.
Six children meanwhile remain in a critical condition at Waukesha’s children hospital.
Mr Brooks, who was arrested not long after the footage was captured on Sunday, told the homeowner : “I called an Uber and I’m supposed to be waiting for it over here, but I don’t know when it’s coming.”
He adds: “Can you call it for me please? I’m homeless.”
The homeowner, according to NBC News, invited Mr Brooks inside his home, and made a sandwich for the suspect.
“All of a sudden, I look outside my street and I see a few cop cars drive by and I’m getting extra nervous,” said the homeowner, Daniel Rider. “Then the next thing you know, you see the cops with lights on him saying, ‘hands in the air, hands in the air.’”
On Monday, Mr Brooks was charged with first-degree murder for the deaths of Virginia Sorenson, 79; LeAnna Owen, 71; Tamara Durand, 52; Jane Kulich, 52; and Wilhelm Hospel, 81.
Waukesha Police chief Daniel Thompson meanwhile confirmed that Mr Brooks had been on bail from a domestic abuse case and was a suspect in a violent altercation earlier on Sunday.
Mr Thompson added that it was clear that Mr Brooks “drove right through the barricades” with intent, although there remains no motive for the parade tragedy.
The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office has meanwhile confirmed that Mr Brooks had been released on a $1,000 (£749) cash bond on 11 November 11 following charges of obstructing an officer, battery, and disorderly conduct.
The attorney said the bond was “inappropriately low in light of the nature of the recent charges”.
An investigation is ongoing and it is unclear if Mr Brooks has a lawyer.
Additional reporting by The Associated Press.