Van Driver Kills Nine on Toronto Sidewalk

Multiple people were killed in Toronto after a driver mounted a sidewalk run over pedestrians. April, 23, 2018 PC: Mega Agency

Nine people died and 16 were injured on Monday, April 23, 2018, in one of the worst mass killings in the modern history of Canada.

A man driving a white Ryder rental van went onto the sidewalk along one of Toronto’s main thoroughfares, leaving death and destruction in his wake, according to The New York Times.

The Times said the van struck a man crossing Yonge Street before jumping the curb near Mel Lastman Square. The van then sped down the sidewalk at 40 miles an hour.

Multiple people were killed in Toronto after a driver mounted a sidewalk run over pedestrians. April, 23, 2018 PC: Mega Agency

The driver was taken into custody 90 minutes later after a dramatic confrontation with the police that was captured on video.

According to the Times, the driver yelled “Shoot me in the head,” before he was detained.

CTV News reported that “multiple people were injured; multiple people were deceased.”

Images posted on social media appeared to show bodies lying on a broad, tree-lined sidewalk near a pedestrian plaza; some covered with blankets. Witnesses reported the debris left by the crash included a child’s stroller.

Multiple people were killed in Toronto after a driver mounted a sidewalk run over pedestrians. April, 23, 2018 PC: Mega Agency

One witness said the van mowed down everything in its path—pedestrians, mailboxes, electrical poles, benches and a fire hydrant.

Ten victims arrived at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center. Two were declared dead on arrival, five were in critical condition and three were in serious condition.

Police have established no motive for the driver’s actions, although the incident appears to have been intentional.