Tragedy hits Toronto, Canada in the form of a van attack. A man plowed down a crowd of people with a van, killing 10 and injuring 15 people. It was a 25 year old suspect, Alek Minassian, who rented a van and conducted this horrible act. It has been reported and believed that the 25 year old was seeking suicide by cop. He was a resident of Richmond Hill, which is a suburb of Toronto and had never been known to police previously. When asked whether it was a terrorist attack, police said: "Based on what we have there's nothing that has it to compromise the national security at this time." An eye witness of the incident said that the driver appeared to be moving deliberately through the crowd at more than 30mph. The witness stated: "He just went on the sidewalk, He just started hitting everybody, man. He hit every single person on the sidewalk. Anybody in his way he would hit." Witnesses were of course horrified, reporting that the numerous people hit by the vehicle were trying to be resuscitated by bystanders and ambulance drivers. It was an awful site to be seen.
The suspect, Minassian, was taken into custody alive. Police are being applauded for not shooting the man even though the suspect himself was pleading for them to shoot him. He will be served justice in court and is set to appear in court this morning on Tuesday April 24th.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his sympathies in a statement that read: "We should all feel safe walking in our cities and communities. We are monitoring this situation closely, and will continue working with our law enforcement partners around the country to ensure the safety and security of all Canadians."
You can read more about this tragedy as details emerge, HERE.
-Producer Lightning