TORONTO — A van struck and killed nine pedestrians Monday afternoon in north Toronto and fled the scene, Canadian police said. Sixteen others were injured in the incident. Authorities said the van has been found and the driver was in custody. Police Constable Jenifferjit Sidhu said authorities do not yet know the cause or reason for the collision.
U.S. law enforcement sources told CBS News that the incident appears to be a deliberate act. Minister of Public Safety Ralph Goodale said it was too soon to say whether the crash was a case of international terrorism. He said Canada has not changed its terrorism alert level and he has no information that would suggest a need to do so.
Authorities said at least seven people were hospitalized with injuries while a photo from the scene showed an apparent body on the sidewalk, but police did not immediately provide details on casualties.
The van struck the pedestrians in a busy intersection in the north-central part of the city. Police did not immediately identify the driver.
CTV News reported that at least four of the hospitalized victims were in critical condition.
“At this point it’s too early to tell what if any motive there was. We are also unable right now to tell the extent or the number of persons injured,” Toronto police spokeswoman Meaghan Gray said.
A witness, Phil Zullo, told Canadian Press that he saw police arresting a man who had been driving a Ryder rental truck and saw people “strewn all over the road” where the incident occurred.
“It must have seen about five, six people being resuscitated by bystanders and by ambulance drivers,” Zullo said. “It was awful. Brutal.”
Police inspect a van suspected of being involved in a collision at Yonge Street and Finch Avenue on April 23, 2018, in Toronto, Canada.
Cole Burston/Getty Images
Toronto paramedic spokeswoman Kim McKinnon said first responders were on scene treating multiple patients, but wouldn’t confirm the number or severity of injuries.
Police shut down the Yonge and Finch intersection following the Monday afternoon incident and Toronto’s transit agency said it has suspended service on the subway line running through the area.
The incident occurred as Cabinet ministers from the major industrial countries were gathered in Canada to discuss a range of international issues in the run-up to the G7 meeting near Quebec City in June.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Twitter that he was monitoring the situation.
“Our thoughts are with all those affected by the terrible incident at Yonge and Finch in Toronto,” Trudeau said. “Thank you to the first responders working at the scene – we’re monitoring the situation closely.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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