Waukesha Parade Defendant Cries, Insists It Was an Accident

The man accused of intentionally driving through last year's Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, killing six people and injuring dozens more, insisted through tears during closing arguments in his trial Tuesday that the tragedy was accidental. "What if the vehicle couldn’t stop because of malfunction? What if the driver of the vehicle was unable to stop the vehicle? Because of that fact, what if the driver may have panicked? Does that make the driver in a rage and intent on killing people?" said Darrell Brooks, who is representing himself. He has pleaded not guilty to more than 70 crimes including six counts of first-degree intentional homicide, CNN reports. He claimed his children and other family members have been bullied and threatened as a result of the allegations against him, WISN reports.

"I’ve never heard of someone trying to intentionally hurt someone while attempting to blow their horn while attempting to alert people of their presence," Brooks continued. He also claimed there was a recall on his SUV at the time, a comment the judge struck from the record. In her rebuttal, the Waukesha County DA said, "There are 68 victims in this case, folks. That’s not an accident. ... He reached speeds of approximately 30mph. That’s intentional. He plowed through 68 different people, 68. How can you hit one and keep going? How can you hit two and keep going?" Jurors deliberated for nearly two hours Tuesday without reaching a verdict and will pick back up Wednesday morning. (Brooks has repeatedly acted out in court.)