Washington, Nov 22 (IANS): There were "some fatalities" after a vehicle rammed into a crowd at an annual holiday parade in Waukesha, a city in the US state of Wisconsin, a top police official said.

"The vehicle struck more than 20 individuals, some of the individuals were children and there are some fatalities as a result of this incident," Xinhua news agency quoted Waukesha Police Chief Dan Thompson as saying while addressing a press conference on Sunday night.

He did not however, provide an exact number.

"We have a person of interest in custody at this moment," Thompson said, but did not give out any further information.

The incident took place at around 4.30 p.m. on Sunday in Waukesha, part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area, when a, SUV broke through the barriers and sped into the roadway where the Christmas parade was taking place, according to local media reports and several videos posted on social media.

Another smartphone video captured the vehicle running through the crowd, hitting pedestrians and accelerating throughout the route.

Police have shut down nearby streets and urged the public to avoid the downtown area.

The parade area has been evacuated, local media reported.

Meanwhile, a White House official has confirmed that President Joe Biden has been on the incident.