FACT CHECK: Does This Image Show The Suspect Who Plowed Through The Waukesha Christmas Parade?

An image shared on Facebook purportedly shows the man who sped through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Verdict: False

The man shown in the photo is comedian Sam Hyde, who is not a suspect in the case.

Fact Check:

A red SUV plowed through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on Nov. 21, killing five people and injuring 40 others, Reuters reported. Now, an image on Facebook shows a screen grab of a tweet including a photo of a man driving a red vehicle.

“This is a photo of the man who plowed his vehicle in the #Waukesha Christmas parade,” the tweet reads. “Please spread this image to help identify this villain.” (RELATED: Does This Photo Show The Suspected Nashville Bomber Wearing A ‘Trump 2020’ Hat?)

The image shown in the screen grabbed tweet does not, however, show the suspect involved in the Waukesha parade incident. The man in the photo is Hyde, a comedian who is often baselessly rumored to be a suspect after mass-killings as part of a long-running internet hoax, according to Newsweek. The photo has been circulating online for years, and originally showed a silver car. For instance, the image showing Hyde in a silver car was used to accuse him of being a suspect in the 2017 London Bridge terror attack, BuzzFeed reported.

Waukesha authorities stated on Nov. 22 that they have Darrell Brooks Jr., the person suspected of plowing through the Christmas parade, in custody, according to NPR. Brooks, who has a previous criminal record, was released from custody just days before the parade, according to The New York Times. He was in custody after being accused of running his girlfriend over with the same SUV used in the parade incident, the outlet reported.

Brooks has been charged with five counts of homicide in connection to the Christmas parade and will appear in court on Nov. 23, CNN reported.

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