Man Who Drove into Christmas Parade is an Amateur Rapper with a Criminal History

The suspect who drove into a Christmas parade in Waukesha, US, on Sunday evening (local time), and claimed the lives of five people, is an amateur rapper with a significant criminal history who was on the run after a previous incident.

NBC news learned that from police sources. His motive is not yet clear.

The annual Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, is an event eagerly awaited by just about the entire population every year. Even on Sunday evening, many thousands of people had gathered, despite the coronavirus. But the party turned into a drama when a man drove his red Ford Escape into the parade. The sad balance: at least five dead and 40 injured, including 12 children.

The police were able to arrest the vehicle driver not much later: it is 39-year-old Darrell Brooks Jr. from Milwaukee. The police have announced that. Brooks could be questioned, but it is not yet clear whether he confessed the facts and whether he disclosed his motive.

The man was on the run after a previous incident, police said. On November 5, he was arrested on charges of violating his bail bond, recklessly endangering the safety of other people, violence, disorderly conduct and resisting a police officer. He had been arrested three days earlier for this. He has a significant criminal history, including convictions for assault and battery.

He was released on November 19 after someone paid $1,000 in cash. He made his deadly raid on the Christmas parade three days later. According to the police, he was on the run after an earlier incident that involved a knife fight.

According to his social media profiles, Brooks is an amateur rapper – MathBoi Fly – who claims to have grown up on the streets. He calls himself “the best underground artist in Washington”.