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Multiple People Are Hit by Van at Two Locations in Toronto, Police Say Van Hits Multiple People at Two Locations in Toronto, Police Say
(35 minutes later)
A van was driven onto the sidewalk in at least two locations in Toronto on Monday, striking eight to 10 people before it was stopped by the police roughly one mile from the scene, the authorities said. OTTAWA — A man drove a white van onto the sidewalk along Toronto’s main thoroughfare in two locations on Monday and struck multiple people before the police stopped the vehicle and took its driver into custody, the authorities and witnesses said.
Images posted on social media appeared to show bodies lying on a broad, tree-lined sidewalk near a pedestrian plaza, and some of them looked as if they had been covered with blankets. The van struck a man crossing Yonge Street, the city’s main road, before it jumped the curb near Mel Lastman Square, a civic square and complex, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Eight to 10 people were hit, the police said, and some were feared dead.
Meaghan Gray, a spokeswoman for the Toronto police, said the authorities received a report at 1:30 p.m. on Monday that a white van had mounted the curb near Yonge Street and Finch Avenue West. Images posted on social media appeared to show bodies lying on a broad, tree-lined sidewalk near a pedestrian plaza, some of which appeared to have been covered with blankets. Several eyewitnesses said the debris left by the crash included a child’s stroller.
The driver was in custody roughly 90 minutes later, she said. One witness, who identified himself as Ali, said the van mowed down everything in its path: pedestrians, mailboxes, electrical poles, benches and a fire hydrant.
“One by one, one by one,” he said, describing the pedestrians being struck. “Holy God, I’ve never seen such a sight before. I feel sick.”
Another bystander who rushed to help the pedestrian who was struck while crossing the street said that “pieces of the van went flying everywhere.”
Meaghan Gray, a spokeswoman for the Toronto police, said the authorities received a report at 1:30 p.m. on Monday that a white van had mounted the curb in the vicinity of Yonge Street and Finch Avenue West. The driver was in custody roughly 90 minutes later, she said.
“A number of pedestrians were struck but, at this point, we do not have the exact number of injuries or the extent of the injuries,” she said in an email.“A number of pedestrians were struck but, at this point, we do not have the exact number of injuries or the extent of the injuries,” she said in an email.
A spokesman for the Toronto Fire Department said there were “numerous casualties” after pedestrians were “hit by vehicle at least two locations.”A spokesman for the Toronto Fire Department said there were “numerous casualties” after pedestrians were “hit by vehicle at least two locations.”
The van, which may have mounted the curb and hit the pedestrians on the sidewalk, was stopped by the police, Constable Jenifferjit Sidhu told CBC Toronto. Ms. Gray said she did not know in how many places pedestrians were struck. Constable Jenifferjit Sidhu, another police spokeswoman, said that the authorities did not know “the cause of reason for the collision.”
In a statement on Monday, John Tory, the mayor of Toronto, offered his thoughts to those affected and to the first responders. He called the episode “tragic” and said he was heading to Mel Lastman Square, just south of where the collision took place, for an update.
Justin Trudeau, the prime minister, also offered his thoughts to those affected. “We’re monitoring the situation closely,” he said.
Videos from bystanders aired on CP24, a Toronto cable news channel, appeared to show the arrest of the van driver, a balding middle aged man standing beside an extensively damaged white Ryder rental van.
He appeared to be locked in a brief standoff with the police and is pointing an object at them. Videos showed the man quickly dropping the object in his hand and being arrested.
The van was stopped about a mile south of where the incident took place, said Dan Fox, a civil servant who passed the vehicle on his way to work on Monday. He said there was “significant damage to the side of the van.”The van was stopped about a mile south of where the incident took place, said Dan Fox, a civil servant who passed the vehicle on his way to work on Monday. He said there was “significant damage to the side of the van.”
“It looked like the side of the van had scraped along the side of the building,” Mr. Fox said in a phone interview, the sound of police sirens wailing behind him. “The driver-side door was open, but I didn’t see anyone in or around the van.” “It looked like the side of the van had scraped along the side of the building,” Mr. Fox said in a phone interview, the sound of police sirens wailing behind him. “The driver-side door was open but I didn’t see anyone in or around the van.”
He said Yonge Street, a main north-south thoroughfare through the North York section of Toronto, appeared to be closed between the scene of the incident and the location of the damaged van. He said Yonge Street, a main north-south thoroughfare through the North York section of Toronto, appeared to be closed between the scene of the episode and the location of the damaged van.