A white van struck and killed 10 people at around 1:27pm local time Monday afternoon on Yonge Street near Finch Avenue in Toronto, according to Toronto Police Service Deputy Chef Peter Yuen, injuring at least 15 people.
Police arrested the driver of the van, Alek Minassian, shortly after the incident. The van had received extensive front end damage and had branding from rental company Ryder.
In a statement, Sunnybrook Hospital confirmed that 10 patients were received at its trauma center after the incident. According to CBC News Network Senior Reporter Natalie Kalata, of the patients they received two people are dead, five people are in critical condition, and three people are in serious condition.
Ali Shaker witnessed the incident and told CTV News Channel that the van was travelling southbound at a high rate of speed and was “crumbling people one by one.”
White Van seen plowing into people on #YongeStreet #Toronto injuries everywhere pic.twitter.com/bZFDVdhLz4
— Obelix (@henrimiller100) April 23, 2018
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne told reporters that they had “no information” on if the incident was terror-related, and deferred to security officials.
The Toronto Maple Leafs issued a statement late Wednesday, announcing a “number of additional measures” on top of the road closures the Toronto Police Service set up around the immediate area of the incident to protect fans attending the Maple Leafs game tonight at Air Canada Centre and the playoff rally at Maple Leaf Square. Those measures include increased security at Air Canada Centre, and road closures around the arena.
This is the statement from Ryder, the rental van company. #torontovanattack pic.twitter.com/u6ksumkD1m
— Kamil Karamali (@KamilKaramali) April 23, 2018
This comes as Toronto hosts foreign and public security ministers from the G7 leading industrialized nations – the UK, Germany, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, and the United States.
