Van plows into pedestrians in Toronto, injuring several, cops say
By Katherine Lam | Fox News
Several people in Toronto were injured on Monday when a white van plowed into pedestrians, police said.
The white van possibly struck eight to 10 people near Yonge Street and Finch Avenue just before 10:30 A.m., police said. They later clarified it was too early to confirm the number of those injured.
The van then fled the scene, CBC reported.
It's unclear what is the extent of the injuries.
Photos from the scene showed pedestrians attempting to help people on the ground. Some bodies were covered by white sheets. A worker at a gym in a building next to the site of the incident told Fox News that they were told to stay inside as first responders tend to the scene.
Subway trains in the area were suspended as police investigate the incident.
This is a developing story.
Van plows into crowd in Toronto, nine dead, driver in custody, cops say
By Katherine Lam, Matt Richardson | Fox News
https://i.imgur.com/KVEtVQm.jpg
Toronto cops nabbed the suspected driver who plowed into a group of people on a crowded city street Monday afternoon, leaving nine people dead. 16 people have been injured, Deputy Police Chief Peter Yuen said.
Police confirmed to Fox News the arrest of the suspect, which came just minutes after news of the incident broke. "The van involved in multiple pedestrians stuck in the Yonge and Finch area of Toronto has been located and the driver arrested," Toronto police tweeted. The identity of the driver has not been released.
Cops initially said eight to 10 people were hit near Yonge Street and Finch Avenue just before 1:30 p.m. A nearby hospital tweeted that it took in seven patients.
After striking the pedestrians, the driver sped off, CBC reported.
Photos from the site of the collision showed pedestrians attempting to help people on the ground and multiple bodies covered by sheets.
A witness who identified himself as Nick said he was studying when he saw a truck “flash by” in the area. He said he “witnessed a few people pass away in front” of him as others screamed.
“[The driver] was definitely in control of what he was doing…he knew what he was doing,” Nick told Global News.
Alex Shaker, who witnessed the incident, said the van was speeding down the street before it mounted the curb and plowed into people.
“He started going down on the sidewalk and crumbling down people one by one,” Shaker told CTV. “He just destroyed so many people’s lives. Every single thing that got in his way.”
A worker at a gym in a building next to the site of the incident told Fox News that employees were told to stay inside as first responders tended to the scene.
Global News journalist Jeremy Cohn said there were “bodies all over” the street and some people had been pronounced dead.
“I’ve now walked up Yonge St from north of Sheppard to Finch. I have passed multiple dead bodies covered up, shoes and debris in the road. Witnesses tell me the white van appeared completely out of control,” Cohn tweeted.
“Ryder is aware of an incident involving a Ryder rental van striking pedestrians in Toronto on Monday April 23rd in the early afternoon,” the rental company told Fox News. “We are saddened by this tragic event, and our deepest sympathies go out to those impacted. We take the safety and security of our entire fleet very seriously and we are cooperating fully with authorities.”
“Our thoughts are with all those affected by the terrible incident at Yonge and Finch in Toronto,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted. “Thank you to the first responders working at the scene – we're monitoring the situation closely.”
“We are all unsettled and disturbed,” Kathleen Wynne, the premier of Ontario, told reporters, emphasizing that she was awaiting further details. “We have to wait until there is information before we start talking,” she said. “As details are available and as it is appropriate, then that information will be made public.”
Subway trains in the area were suspended as police investigated the incident.
Ralph Goodale, Canada's minister of public safety, said the country hasn't changed its terrorism alert level and he has no information that would suggest a need to do so.
"Investigators are appealing for information from the public," Toronto police said, adding that a hotline for witnesses will be announced later Monday.
"This is a time when this community should come together," Toronto Mayor John Tory said at an afternoon press conference. "I hope that we will, as a city, remind ourselves of the fact that we are admired around the world for being inclusive and for being accepting and understanding and considerate."
The crash unfolded as Cabinet ministers from the G7 countries were gathered in Toronto to discuss a range of international issues in the run-up to the G7 meeting near Quebec City in June.
Speaking at the event on Monday, Chrystia Freeland, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, expressed "sadness and tremendous sympathy for the victims of this incident."
Investigators are expected to remain on the scene for several days.
Fox News' Greg Norman, Shira Bush and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Toronto van suspect reportedly attended special needs program, made unusual noises
By Benjamin Brown | Fox News
https://i.imgur.com/jl3KCvi.jpg
Alek Minassian, the suspect who allegedly drove a van into a crowd of pedestrians in Toronto on Monday, reportedly attended a special needs program at his high school and would make meowing noises when he walked the halls.
The 25-year-old from Richmond Hill, which is north of Toronto, was identified by authorities as the driver in the rampage that left 10 dead and 15 hurt. The vehicle eventually mounted the curb on Yonge Street after traveling for about a mile. He was arrested roughly 26 minutes after police were first notified of the attack, The Star reported.
Shereen Chami, a former classmate at Thornlea Secondary School, told Reuters she remembered him “walking the halls with his hands together and his head down, and making meowing noises.”
"He wasn't a social person, but from what I remember he was absolutely harmless," she said.
Special needs in the Canadian education system encompasses multiple areas, including behavioral difficulties, as well as learning and physical disabilities, according to the report.
Ari Bluff, who also attended Thornlea Secondary School with Minassian, told CBC News he “wasn't overly social,” and would often be alone.
Minassian reportedly graduated from Thornlea in 2011, before attending Seneca College from 2011 to April 2018, Reuters reported, citing an Internet archived version of his Facebook page.
A cellphone video taken by a bystander shows a man dressed in black standing in front of the van, pointing an object at a police officer while yelling, “kill me,” before obeying orders to “get down.”
Minassian is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday at 10 a.m., with information on the charges against him set to be released at the same time, according to police.
Law enforcement sources have told the New York Post that investigators are examining Facebook posts made by Minassian.
“The Incel Rebellion has already begun!” a Facebook post apparently written by Minassian read, according to the CBC. “We will overthrow all the Chads and Stacys! All hail the Supreme Gentleman Elliot Rodger!”
An “Incel” is a term used by some to mean “involuntarily celibate,” according to CBC, which said it could not confirm if in fact the posts came from Minassian, but noted that they have the same name and photo of Minassian’s LinkedIn photo.
Rodger, 22, killed six people near the University of California at Santa Barbara in a drive-by shooting in 2014. Before the attack, Rodger posted a video about how he didn’t know why girls weren’t attracted to him and how he would “slaughter every single spoiled, stuck-up, blond slut I see inside there,” the Post reported.
Investigators are scouring through surveillance video and witness accounts in an effort to piece together what led to Minassian’s decision to drive a Ryder rental van into a crowded Toronto city street on Monday.
Authorities have yet to disclose a possible motive, but Toronto Police Service Chief Mark Saunders told reporters in a Monday evening news conference “it’s very clear the actions definitely looked deliberate," while underscoring nothing has been ruled out.
Investigators are expected to remain on the scene for several days.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
