Post by Lambily on Apr 23, 2018 18:12:11 GMT -4
Toronto incident: suspect in custody after van ploughs into crowd, killing ten
10 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
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.
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.”
Four other people were near a bus surrounded by passersby, some of whom were performing CPR.
It was not immediately clear whether the incident was a deliberate act by the driver.
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.
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.”
Later, Peter Yuen, the acting Toronto deputy police chief, told reporters: “This is going to be a complex investigation.”
The van was stopped about 2km south of the first collision.
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.
“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 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.
Toronto’s mayor John Tory called for calm and asked businesses in the vicinity to close to help the police with their investigation.
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.”
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.
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.”
Four other people were near a bus surrounded by passersby, some of whom were performing CPR.
It was not immediately clear whether the incident was a deliberate act by the driver.
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.
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.”
Later, Peter Yuen, the acting Toronto deputy police chief, told reporters: “This is going to be a complex investigation.”
The van was stopped about 2km south of the first collision.
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.
“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 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.
Toronto’s mayor John Tory called for calm and asked businesses in the vicinity to close to help the police with their investigation.
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.”