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Toronto incident: suspect in custody after van ploughs into crowd, killing nine Toronto incident: suspect in custody after van ploughs into crowd, killing nine
(about 1 hour later)
Nine people have been killed and at least 16 injured – several of them seriously – after a van jumped the kerb in a northern suburb of Toronto and ran into a crowd of pedestrians, according to police. Nine people have been killed and 16 injured after a van sped on to a sidewalk in Toronto, ploughing through throngs of pedestrians out enjoying a sunny day and leaving a trail of devastation that stretched several city blocks.
A spokesperson for Toronto police said the white van left the road near Yonge Street and Finch Avenue West and continued down the sidewalk, striking various pedestrians. The driver fled the scene but was later arrested by police. The incident occurred around lunchtime on one of the city’s first warm days of the year. Police said they received several calls about a vehicle that appeared to be striking pedestrians along Yonge Street, one of Toronto’s main arteries.
Christian Ali, who drove down Yonge Street shortly afterwards, said he saw three people lying in the street. “There was a lot of blood flowing,” he told the Guardian. “Everyone was in sheer shock.” Witnesses said the attack – in which the white van travelled roughly 2km (one mile) along the sidewalk – appeared to be deliberate, but police declined to comment on any possible motive.
Four other people were near a bus surrounded by passersby, some of whom were performing CPR. The driver was arrested after a brief confrontation with police and taken into custody. Police did not identify the man, saying only that he was under investigation.
It was not immediately clear whether the incident was a deliberate act by the driver. “This is going to be a long investigation,” Peter Yuen of the Toronto police service told reporters. “There were a lot of pedestrians out enjoying, a lot of witnesses out enjoying the sunny afternoon.”
At a press conference, Canada’s public safety minster Ralph Goodale offered no more details, but confirmed that the investigation was still being led by Toronto police. In Canada, any national security-related cases are handled by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the country’s federal police force. Distraught witnesses described watching in shock as the rented van zigzagged through the crowd of pedestrians. “He just went on the sidewalk,” Ali Shaker, who was driving near the van at the time, told the Canadian broadcaster CP24. “He just started hitting everybody, man. He hit every single person on the sidewalk. Anybody in his way he would hit.”
Goodale said: “The investigation is at a stage where no further information can be confirmed at this point. The police are conducting obviously their thorough investigation to determine what happened and why it happened, the motivations involved.” Another witness, Peter Kang, told CTV News that the driver seemingly did not want to stop. “If it was an accident he would have stopped,” Kang said. “But the person just went through the sidewalk. He could have stopped.”
Later, Peter Yuen, the acting Toronto deputy police chief, told reporters: “This is going to be a complex investigation.” Christian Ali, who drove down Yonge Street shortly afterwards, said he saw several people lying in the street. “There was a lot of blood flowing,” he told the Guardian. “Everyone was in sheer shock.”
The van was stopped about 2km south of the first collision. Another witness, identified only as Ali, told reporters that he had seen the van hit an estimated speed of up to 70km per hour (43 mph). “People were getting hit, one after the other,” he said, struggling to hold back tears.
Bystander video captured the tense standoff between police officers and the suspect, who is seeing pointing a dark object. In the footage, police can be heard telling the man to get down on the ground. He watched as the van sent a stroller flying into the air and worried that those hurt in the incident might have included residents from a nearby retirement home.
John Flengas of Toronto’s emergency medical services described the incident as surreal. “The numbers are just starting to come in,” he told the Globe and Mail. “It’s unprecedented. We’ve never seen anything like this in Toronto up until now ... we never thought this would happen here.”
Police cordoned off several city blocks and suspended services at two nearby subway stations. The incident took place miles north of Toronto’s downtown core, in a highly multicultural area where nearly 60% of residents were born outside of Canada, according to the 2006 census.
Hours after the incident the area – normally teeming with commuters and pedestrians – was eerily empty as the residents followed police requests to stay off the streets and close any businesses in the area. The van, bearing the Ryder Truck Rental and Leasing logo, sat on a side street, its hood crumpled and front grill missing.
After the driver initially attempted to flee the scene, bystander video captured the tense standoff between police officers and the suspect, showing him waving a dark object in the direction of police. In the footage, police can be heard telling the man to get down on the ground.
“Kill me,” he tells officers. “I have a gun in my pocket.”“Kill me,” he tells officers. “I have a gun in my pocket.”
The officers warn him if he doesn’t not get on the ground, they will shoot. “Shoot me in the head,” he tells them. The officers warn him if he does not get on the ground, they will shoot. “Shoot me in the head,” he tells them. The officers arrested the suspect without firing any shots.
The officers arrested the suspect without firing any shots.
In a statement, Sunnybrook hospital said seven victims had been taken to its trauma centre. It also said its emergency department was in lockdown as a precaution.
Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, expressed his condolences to the victims. “Our hearts go out to everyone affected. We’re going to have more to say in the coming hours,” he said. “We’re still gathering information, and as soon as we can we’ll share more information with Canadians.”
Police cordoned off several city blocks, and services were suspended at two nearby subway stations.
The incident took place about 18 miles from the city centre, where foreign ministers from the G7 countries were meeting to discuss international issues before the G7 summit near Quebec City in June.The incident took place about 18 miles from the city centre, where foreign ministers from the G7 countries were meeting to discuss international issues before the G7 summit near Quebec City in June.
Toronto’s mayor John Tory called for calm and asked businesses in the vicinity to close to help the police with their investigation. Ralph Goodale, Canada’s public safety minister, declined to say on Monday if the incident was being treated as a terror attack. In the wake of the incident, he said there was no evidence to suggest Canada’s national threat level needed to be raised.
He said the city of Toronto was “united” with those affected by the incident. He said: “This is a time for the community to come together.” “There is no information available to me at the present time that would indicate a change in the risk level,” Goodale told reporters in Toronto.
Toronto’s mayor, John Tory, described the incident as a terrible tragedy. “These are not the kinds of things we expect to happen in this city,” he said. “I hope that we will as a city remind ourselves of the fact that we are admired around the world for being inclusive, for being accepting and understanding and considerate.”
Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, expressed his condolences to the victims. “Our hearts go out to everyone affected,” he said. “We’re still gathering information, and as soon as we can we’ll share more information with Canadians.”
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