
Update: According to Toronto police, the van driver has been arrested, however so far there are no details on age, gender or motive. 9 people have been reportedly killed in the rampage.
TORONTO POLICE SAY DRIVER OF VAN IN CUSTODY, GAVE NO DETAILS ON AGE, GENDER OR POSSIBLE MOTIVE
WE DO NOT KNOW THE CAUSE OR REASON FOR COLLISION,’ SIDHU SAYS
As reported earlier, 8 to 10 people were hit, police said, though Toronto paramedics put the injured number at closer to five. A witness said separately that he had seen at least four bodies lying covered on the ground.
The van, which may have mounted the curb and hit the pedestrians on the sidewalk, was stopped by police, Const. Jenifferjit Sidhu told CBC Toronto. Sidhu added that the police still does not know the cause or reason for the collision.
Meanwhile, as CTVNews reports, witness Alex Shaker, who was driving southbound at the time, says the van was travelling at high speed on the sidewalk.
“He started going down on the sidewalk and crumbling down people one by one,” Shaker told CTV News Channel on Monday afternoon.
Shaker said he saw the vehicle strike someone with a stroller.
“He just destroyed so many people’s lives,” he said. “Every single thing that got in his way.”
The extent of injuries is unknown and ambulances are on the scene. Photos posted online show multiple individuals on the ground.
The van suspected in the collision was found on Poyntz Avenue off of Yonge, just south of Sheppard Avenue West.
The van is marked as belonging to the rental company Ryder, which suggests a London-copycat terrorist attack; recall the van used in the March 2017 deadly attack on London Bridge was also a rental.