O’Gara’s bar on State Street in West Allis, Wis., was packed when a white SUV drove by and slammed into a crowd of people celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, killing two and sending dozens to the hospital. The driver was in custody but has not been charged with a crime.
Paramedics treated 38 people, including 15 transported to a nearby hospital with serious injuries, according to the Wisconsin Emergency Management Division. One patient died at the hospital, officials said.
The timing and location of the crash is raising questions about whether police delayed in chasing down the driver of the SUV.
Police received a call at 12:17 p.m. Sunday saying a vehicle was driving erratically through the square. A short time later, law enforcement officers received a report of a single-vehicle crash on State Street.
Paramedics could not get close to the vehicle at the point of impact, said Sara Wurfel, spokeswoman for the Milwaukee Fire Department.
West Allis police spokesman Mark Stanmeyer said police could not provide more information about what happened at the time of the crash, as an investigation is ongoing.