Man plows into pedestrians with his van in Toronto - 9 dead, 16 injured - Alleged attacker taken into custody

Breaking News: The Greek Courier with info from Global News and CBC Radio

Toronto, Yonge Street between Finch and Sheppard Avenues, Monday afternoon around 1:30. A man drives his van into the crowd. Seven people die at the spot, two more die later at the hospital, five are in critical condition and two are in serious condition. Officials say the hospital’s emergency room has been locked down as a precaution. A suspect is in custody.

A video posted on Twitter appears to show a standoff between a male suspect and police just before he was arrested. He appears to come out of the white van with an object in his hands pointed towards a police officer in the street. In the video, the officer could be heard shouting “get down on the ground now.” The officer walks toward the man, who drops an object and turns around with his hands in the air. It is unclear what the object is. He is subsequently taken into custody.

Police are in the process of setting up two telephone lines in response to the attack. The first one will be for victims and their families. The second will be for witnesses.