WAUKESHA, Wis. —

       An SUV plowed into a Christmas parade in the Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha on Sunday, injuring more than 20 people, the city’s police chief said.

       Chief Dan Thompson said the investigation was ongoing and that a “suspect vehicle” was recovered. Police took some of the injured to hospitals, and others were taken by family members, Thompson said.

       “We have a person of interest that we are looking into at this time,” Thompson said. It wasn’t clear if the person was in custody; Thompson deferred questions until a later briefing.

       Police were urging people to avoid the downtown area.

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       A live video feed of the parade from the city of Waukesha, as well as videos taken by parade attendees, showed a red SUV breaking through barriers and speeding into the roadway where the parade was taking place.

       Mayor Shawn Reilly told WITI-TV Channel 6 in Milwaukee that he does not believe there is any current danger to the public.

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       One video shows the SUV striking what appear to be members of a marching band and several others along the parade route before driving on. The sound of the marching band is replaced by screams.

       Corey Montiho, a Waukesha school district board member, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that his daughter’s dance team was hit.

       “They were pompoms and shoes and spilled hot chocolate everywhere. I had to go from one crumpled body to the other to find my daughter,” he said. “My wife and two daughters were almost hit. Please pray for everybody. Please pray.”

       Angelito Tenorio, a West Allis alderman who is running for Wisconsin state treasurer, told the Associated Press that he was watching the parade with his family when they saw the SUV come speeding into the area.

       “Then we heard a loud bang,” Tenorio said. “And after that, we just heard deafening cries and screams from the crowd, from the people at the parade. And people started rushing, running away with tears in their eyes crying.”

       Tenorio said he saw about 10 people, children and adults, on the ground who appeared to have been hit by the vehicle.

       “It just happened so fast,” he said. “It was pretty horrifying.”

       The parade is sponsored by the city’s Chamber of Commerce. This year’s edition was the 59th of the event, which is held each year the Sunday before Thanksgiving.

       Waukesha is a western suburb of Milwaukee, and about 55 miles north of Kenosha, where Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted Friday of charges stemming for the shooting of three men during unrest in that city in August 2020.