Canada: 10 Dead, 15 Injured As Van Hit Pedestrians

A van seized by police lies damaged after an incident where a van struck multiple people


Ten people are dead and 15 are injured after the driver of a van plowed into multiple pedestrians in Toronto on Monday in what appears to be a deliberate act, Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders said.

The suspect has been named by police as Alek Minassian, 25.

The driver fled the scene of the incident, at a busy junction in the north of the Canadian city, but was arrested several streets away.

The arrest followed a tense standoff with officers on the street.

Bystander videos appeared to show the driver pointing an object at the officers, who can be heard shouting at him to get down.

The man was then detained without any shots being fired.

Toronto Deputy Chief Peter Yuen asked for witnesses to come forward and said there would be “a long investigation”.

Canadian public safety minister Ralph Goodale would not comment on a possible motive, although in a tweet thanking the emergency services he referred to the incident as a “horrific attack”.

Reza Hashemi, who owns a video shop on Yonge Street, told the BBC he heard screaming on the other side of the road.

He said the white rental van had repeatedly mounted the pavement and rammed into people.

Van rental company Ryder System Inc confirmed that one of its vehicles was involved and said it was co-operating with authorities.

The incident occurred at Yonge Street and Finch Avenue at 13:30 local time (17:30 GMT) on Monday. The crime scene encompassed a 2km (1.24 mile) stretch of Yonge Street.

About 18 miles (30km) away in the city centre, foreign ministers of the G7 leading industrialized nations – Canada, the US, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan – were holding meetings.


(BBC)




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