Saunders said Minassian was not known to police, and that he did not have a weapon.
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The white van fled the scene but was found not far away and the driver was arrested by police.
Authorities also have not said publicly if the vehicle collisions were intentional.
“The events that happened on the street behind us are horrendous but they do not appear to be connected in any way to national security, based on the information available at this time”, he told an evening news conference near the site of the incident.
The incident occurred just before 1:30 p.m. (1730 GMT) as large crowds of office workers were on lunch breaks.
Those travelling home after work Monday will experience delays due to a police investigation at the intersection of Yonge Street and Finch Avenue in North York.
When the suspect said “Kill me”, the officer replied, “No, get down”.
At least seven people were rushed to nearby Sunnybrook Health Services Centre’s trauma center, the hospital said on Twitter, adding that the emergency department has been locked down as an added precaution.
Cass said the patients suffered a range of injuries, some serious.
After Europe and the U.S., it is the first such incident in Canada. Diego DeMatos, who witnessed the incident while returning from a gym, was quoted as saying by CNN: “It was like a scene from a war zone”.
Tory said he hopes the city remembers it is one of inclusion.
As the world searches for answers over yet another devastating van attack, the officer responsible for capturing the alleged killer on Monday afternoon (local time) has been identified as a veteran with Toronto’s 32 Division for six years.
There is no denying the fact that the United States and Europe have seen an increase in driving attacks in recent years where terror links have been found in some cases. Fifteen other people were injured and hospitalized. Bodies were seen covered with tarps after the attack in a gruesome and graphic scene.
“He just went up on the sidewalk and kept hitting people and a post-box crumbled into someone”. “He just destroyed so many people’s lives”. The vehicle was going 60 to 70 kph, he estimated.
One witness who was traveling behind the van said the driver was going about 70 or 80 kilometers an hour (about 45 miles an hour) when he veered onto the sidewalk and “just started hitting everybody”, the witness told CP24.
“We are also keeping the police, first responders and heroic citizens in our hearts and thank them for their courage and compassion as they helped today’s victims”, Notley stated.
Constable Jenifferjit Sidhu told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. that the van might have jumped the curb before hitting people on the sidewalk. He then ran outside and saw two or three people on the ground.
Minassian struggles with physical tics including shaking his hands and tapping his head, the classmate said.
“I went over to try to perform CPR on him”.
The warped 22-year-old claimed he was driven by anger at women who’d rejected him sexually and men he envied. She said he was not violent. However a USA law enforcement official with knowledge of the matter said Minassian had been known to authorities.
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered his heartfelt condolences and prayers for families affected in the incident.
