Toronto Police name suspect in van attack that leaves 10 dead, 15 injured

Toronto police have named Alek Minassian, 25, as the suspect in an attack that left 10 people dead and 15 injured after a van plowed into pedestrians along one of the city’s busiest streets Monday afternoon.

Police are now working to identify the victims, and are urging witnesses who saw the van drive almost a kilometre down Toronto’s Yonge Street to come forward.

Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders told reporters on Monday evening that criminal charges have not yet been laid as the investigation continues to unfold. Police will provide an update if and when charges are pursued.

He did not rule out terrorism as a possible motive, but said at this point, it did not appear to be connected to national security.

Saunders added that the incident “did look deliberate” and was not an accident.

Federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told reporters that Canada’s terror threat level remains unchanged.

Minassian is not known to police, Saunders confirmed, and he was taken into custody at the scene “without incident.”

Minassian’s LinkedIn profile appears to identify him as a student attending Seneca College.

Around 1:30 p.m. on Monday afternoon, police received reports of a collision, said Saunders. Minassian was arrested about half an hour later in a white Ryder rental truck.

Police have cordoned off around one kilometre of the streets, one of the city’s main arteries, lined with businesses and residential properties.

'IT'S TOO MUCH'

Eyewitnesses told VICE News they saw a white van mount a curb and plow into pedestrians walking on the sidewalk. Many of those who were able to dodge the vehicle saw bodies fly into the air and land on the ground after being struck by the van.

Reza Bahramian was having a cigarette outside Starbucks when he saw the van driving along the sidewalk towards him. He managed to dodge the van, and then tried to chase it, but couldn’t keep up. He described the scene as utter chaos, with people screaming “Stop!” and running in multiple directions.

Bahramian turned back around and saw canage in the street, with at least four bodies on the ground and blood everywhere. Bahramian and others crowded around the bodies and tried to resuscitate the victims, some of whom showed no signs of life and had been badly injured.

“The ambulance arrived 30 minutes later,” he said, in disbelief. “It’s too much. Five minutes is too much.”

Many of the victims were taken to Sunnybrook Hospital, where around 7 p.m. about 10 people were waiting in a closely guarded auditorium for news of their loved ones.