Darrell Brooks calls for Waukesha parade attack case to be dismissed during 50-minute rant

Watch a livestream of the Darrell Brooks Waukesha parade attack trial here when court is in session.

ByWISN
Thursday, October 13, 2022
Latest coverage from the Waukesha parade attack trial
Victims of the Waukesha Christmas parade attack spoke at a sentencing hearing for Darrell Brooks.

WAUKESHA, Wis. -- Testimony continued Thursday in the trial for the man accused of intentionally driving into a Wisconsin parade last November.



Darrell Brooks is accused of driving into the Waukesha Christmas parade route, killing six people and injuring more than 60 others.



Brooks, who has no legal training, is representing himself at the trial. He has repeatedly disrupted the court proceedings with defiant and outlandish behavior.



WATCH | Darrell Brooks rants that case should be dismissed


Waukesha parade attack suspect Darrell Brooks went on a tirade for 50 minutes Thursday morning, arguing that the case should be dismissed.


Brooks went on a tirade for 50 minutes Thursday morning, arguing that the case should be dismissed. He told Judge Jennifer Dorow that his right to a speedy trial was violated and that the trial shouldn't be taking place in Waukesha County due to bias. He also told the judge it was "treason" not to uphold her oath of office to honor his constitutional rights.



Jurors were not present for his speech.



Prior to that, Laura Thein from the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies group took the witness stand. Four members of the dance group were killed during the parade.



"I screamed either in my head or out loud. I don't know which. But I said What is he doing where is he going? And I knew if he was going down the center of the parade route. He was going to be hurting a lot of people and he wasn't going slow," Thein said.



Brooks cross-examined Thein, asking her, "So were you told by police that they were dead?"



"I could see, they were working on them and weren't getting anywhere," Thein said. "They were trying to get the heart started with the heart machines. Nothing was working."



The Waukesha Christmas parade trial will continue with more testimony Wednesday, after jurors heard from victims and police Tuesday.


Jurors heard from the parents of some of the youngest victims of the Waukesha, Wisconsin Christmas parade incident last November on Wednesday.



Wednesday's proceedings were cut short, after storms blew through southern Wisconsin, prompting tornado warnings and other weather alerts.



There were tears on the witness stand Tuesday in the homicide trial.



Jurors heard from victims and survivors, WISN reported.



It was day filled with heart-wrenching testimony.



A mother injured during the Waukesha Christmas parade attack was the first witness to testify Tuesday.



Kelly Grabow was one of those hurt. Both she and her daughter were hit that day.



"After I realized what just happened, I jumped up and took off running to go find her, and I seen her in the middle of the road," Grabow said. "Her shoes were down the road, as well as her glasses."


Waukesha parade attack suspect Darrell Brooks appeared in a suit and apologized Monday for disrupting court last week before more testimony was heard.


Alyssa Gajewski had been with the Xtreme Dance Team of young girls.



"I picked her up as soon as her body was right in front of me. I just picked her up because I didn't know what was about to happen," Gajewski said.



Jeff Rogers was with the Waukesha Blazers Youth Baseball Team.



"Jackson was motionless on the ground, eyes open, didn't appear to be aware," Rogers said.



Waukesha Detective Mike Carpenter testified about his speed analysis, using a high-tech software program.



He said the suspect was driving 33.7 to 34.6 mph.



During cross examination, Brooks asked why police waited nine months after the parade to conduct the speed analysis.



Carpenter said they wanted to ensure they had the certifications to make sure they were valid.



Prosecutors said they plan to show the jury up close, in person the red SUV, and then it would be Brooks' turn to begin calling witnesses.



The Waukesha parade attack trial began Monday with an apology from Brooks to the judge.



"I owe you, your honor, and the court an apology, and I am going to stand up as a man and tell the whole court, I apologize, and the bailiffs that I apologize for my actions," Brooks said. "That is not how I was raised."


More testimony is expected Monday in the trial of Darrell Brooks. He is accused of killing six people in a Waukesha, WI Christmas parade massacre.


SEE ALSO | Waukesha parade attack witnesses to relive violence in trial after suspect removed from court


Witnesses are expected to relive the Waukesha parade attack during the trial of Darrell Brooks, accused of killing 6 at the Wisconsin Christmas event.


The jury also saw graphic police dash-cam video of the scene.



Brooks previously pleaded not guilty by insanity. His public defenders withdrew that plea last month.



The attorneys later withdrew from the case, and Brooks has decided to represent himself in court.



The Waukesha Christmas parade suspect was again removed from a WIsconsin courtroom Thursday. He then appeared in another room shirtless.


RELATED | Man accused of killing 6 in Waukesha holiday parade attack removed from court after outburst



More testimony is expected on Thursday. You can watch a livestream of the trial on ABC7Chicago.com.



ABC7 Chicago contributed to this report.



The video in the player above is from an earlier report.