9 Dead, 16 Hurt After Van Plows Into Toronto Pedestrians

Police have driver in custody
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 23, 2018 1:41 PM CDT
Updated Apr 23, 2018 4:28 PM CDT
Van Plows Into Pedestrians in Toronto
Shoes lay on the street as first responders secure the area in Toronto after a van mounted a sidewalk crashing into a crowd of pedestrians on Monday, April 23, 2018.   (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

A van plowed into a group of pedestrians in Toronto on Monday, killing nine people and injuring another 16, but whether it did so deliberately was not clear. The driver was in custody, reports the CBC, though no details were immediately provided about the arrest. Police say the van had fled the scene after the incident, which happened at 1:30pm at the busy intersection of Yonge Street and Finch Avenue, per the AP. “Reports were that a white van mounted the curb, drove down the sidewalk at southbound Yonge, south of Finch, and struck eight to 10 people possibly, the numbers aren’t confirmed yet,” a police spokesperson initially told Canada's Global News.

A law enforcement official anonymously tells CNN the act appears to have been deliberate, but authorities have not publicly stated whether it was intentional and in announcing the arrest the deputy police chief did not provide any possible cause or motive, the AP reports. Canada's minister of public safety also said it's too soon to say whether the crash is a case of international terrorism. Ralph Goodale told reporters that police are still investigating to determine what happened and why. (More Toronto stories.)

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