MILWAUKEE — The suspect accused of killing five and injuring 48 while driving through a Waukesha, Wisconsin, Christmas parade Sunday has a long history with the criminal justice system, according to court records.
Darrell Brooks, 39, was even accused of running over the mother of his child with his car earlier this month. However, he bonded out of jail just over a week before the tragedy.
Court records show that on Nov. 2, the mother of Brooks' child reported that Brooks had punched her in the face while she was at a gas station in Milwaukee.
After Brooks allegedly struck her, a criminal complaint alleges Brooks ran over the woman with his maroon SUV. She was taken to the hospital and treated for her injuries, where "officers observed tire tracks on her left pants leg."
During that incident, it's believed that Brooks was driving the same maroon SUV that he allegedly drove on Sunday through the Waukesha Christmas parade.
On Nov. 11, Brooks was able to bail out of jail on just a $1,000 bond. While Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm called the bail "inappropriately low," his office had asked the court to set the bail at that amount.
The DA asked for $1,000 bail despite Brooks being out on bail over a July 2020 gun charge. During a fight, Brooks allegedly fired a gun at his nephew as his nephew was leaving the confrontation.
"The bail recommendation in this case is not consistent with the approach of the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office toward matters involving violent crime, nor was it consistent with the risk assessment of the defendant prior to setting of bail," Chisholm said in a statement.
The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office said it would be conducting an internal review of the case.
This story was originally published by Rebecca Klopf on Scripps station TMJ4 in Milwaukee.
