Nine people have died and 16 more have been injured following an apparent van attack in Toronto, which saw a driver mount the curb near a busy intersection in the Canadian city.
An eyewitness told CNN “it was a gruesome scene. It was really bad out there. I couldn’t believe what I’d seen… everybody, all these people on the streets, getting hit one by one.”
The driver fled the scene, but police stopped the van some 2.2km away. The vehicle’s sole occupant was arrested.
Video footage taken shortly after the incident appears to show a man near a van having an armed standoff with a police officer before being detained.
JUST IN: CTV video appears to show armed standoff near Toronto van strike scene https://t.co/LLweX4F5SF
— Meg Wagner (@megwagner) April 23, 2018
Toronto Police have not released the driver’s identity, nor any information about who was behind the wheel. A law enforcement source informed CNN the incident appeared to be deliberate.
No apparent motive for the attack has yet been released.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement, thanking the first responders who reacted to the “terrible incident”.
Our thoughts are with all those affected by the terrible incident at Yonge and Finch in Toronto. Thank you to the first responders working at the scene – we’re monitoring the situation closely.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) April 23, 2018
More to come.
