Police in Wisconsin pulled over a drunk driver who came close to hitting Kamala Harris' motorcade.
The vice president was rushed off unharmed after Wayne Wacker, 55, drove in the wrong direction on I-94.
While details are still pouring in, Wacker drove onto the highway using the off-ramp and proceeded to come within feet of the motorcade.
Harris was leaving an event in Milwaukee's Brookfield suburb Monday night when the close call happened after 8:20 p.m.
Sheriff’s deputies made a traffic stop and found an open container in the car. Wacker had no recollection of how he got there and said he did not intend to harm the vice president.
A video of the incident was obtained by local news station WISN, showing a white vehicle drive past the motorcade in the wrong direction. It wasn't made clear how fast the car was going.
Wacker works in Milwaukee Public Schools as a special education teacher, WISN reported. He has not been charged yet, but police are considering a felony charge for recklessly endangering safety.
New reporting tonight from @NickBohrWISN: The Secret Service is looking into how a suspected drunk driver, driving the wrong way on the interstate, came this close to VP Kamala Harris' motorcade in Milwaukee last night after her event in Waukesha County pic.twitter.com/VEclfwEQVR
— Matt Smith (@mattsmith_news) October 22, 2024
A retired Milwaukee officer told WISN that ramps are usually blocked off for a motorcade. It's not clear why the off-ramp was left open.
The Secret Service has been tight-lipped about the incident, telling WISN that it "cannot disclose specific details about operations and procedures pertaining to motorcade safety. The incident in Milwaukee did not compromise the integrity of our protective movements."
"The U.S. Secret Service is aware of the incident involving a motorist traveling in the opposite direction on the highway while the Vice President was in her motorcade. We are grateful to the Milwaukee Sheriff's Office for their response which allowed them to stop the motorist and take the driver into custody for DUI," Secret Service Spokesperson Joe Routh told WISN.
This is not the first traffic incident involving the Harris campaign to occur in Milwaukee. The back of the motorcade carrying running mate Tim Walz was rear-ended in September, injuring some staff and journalists covering the campaign.
