Waukesha Christmas Parade suspect facing 71 more counts for injuries to crowd

The man charged for driving through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wis., is facing 71 additional charges on top of the six homicide counts he was charged with in November. 

Darrell E. Brooks is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing Friday in the case, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. The new charges, which encompass threats and injuries to the parade attendees, each carry a prison sentence of up to 12 1/2 years.

The new charges stem from 67 parade-goers comprised of eight groups of people marching in the parade, as well as some spectators who were struck when Brooks drove through the scene, according to the Sentinel.

Prosecutors also charged Brooks with six counts of hit-and-run resulting in death — which is punishable by up to a 15-year prison sentence — for the six fatalities previously charged as first-degree intentional homicide. Brooks also faces two counts of bail jumping and two counts of domestic abuse battery, the Sentinel noted.

The domestic violence charges involved an incident between Brooks and his girlfriend the day before the parade. Brooks’s girlfriend told police that he struck her in the head while driving and that he later confronted her near a local school, the Sentinel reported. When a friend tried to ameliorate the confrontation, Brooks pushed them away and drove to the parade. 

Brooks is awaiting his court appearance at the Waukesha County Jail with a $5 million bail, according to the Sentinel.