No official word yet on casualties, but the witness descriptions seem to indicate at least several fatalities.
ETA: I don’t want to run afoul of prohibition against political jabs in a breaking news thread, but I find it … interesting … that the subject may have had a gun (“I have a gun in my pocket,” the suspect can be heard saying) but apparently used the van to carry out his attack.
ETA2: Drudge Report says 9 dead 
Yonge St is shut down between Sheppard and Finch. They do not yet know whether it was an accident or a deliberate act, but the driver of the van is in police custody.
(I have a job fair tomorrow in one of the buildings overlooking this… 
Reporting now, 9 dead and it is being regarded as a deliberate act.
The BBC are reporting 9 dead and 16 injured.
I’ve only been in Toronto once, and only for a weekend, but I’ve been at that intersection catching the subway into the city. :eek:
It is looking more and more like a deliberate act.
After watching this video of the suspect’s arrest, I strongly lean towards the theory that the “gun” was fake and the suspect was attempting a suicide by cop.
I saw that too. The cop did not shoot. Good. Now we have a suspect.
nevermind: might have come across as a political jab.
CBS News says the suspect is 25-year-old Alek Minassian
“There’s a gun in my pocket!” “I don’t care, get down!” Wow.
I noticed, he repeatedly makes a motion as if to draw, but is just pointing his fingers. Just his luck, he got a cool customer who was not buying it – when you are cornered like that, shouting “I have a gun!” is pointless: it’s a use it or lose it situation and if you’ve the time to shout the announcement while still pointing only fingers, someone with a high risk tolerance will just call your bluff.
I went to high school 2 blocks from there, my parents live about 5 blocks away and I had lunch right there on Friday.
I was looking at a Fox News post on Facebook and the trolls are sharpening their pitch forks for Trudeau. This prick could have been born in Canada or immigrated under the Conservatives, but somehow it is all Trudeau’s fault. I’m not getting political, just remarking on the commentators.
Only one small correction, I don’t believe it was just his “fingers” he was pointing. He had some dark object in his hand. You can see it pretty clearly in the ground-level video, from about 0:12 onward, and he very clearly drops / tosses something in the skyscraper-angle video at 0:07.
ETA: cop was indeed a VERY cool customer
Toronto cops are still sensitive after a cop was convicted of manslaughter for continuing to shoot Sammy Yatim on a streetcar after he had (legally) been shot and was already dying. That being said, the cop has balls THIS BIG and deserves a commendation.
Yes he does.
From Red Sox Nation, @ Blue Jays tomorrow, we’re mourning with you.
From previous threads about the use of deadly force, it appears that Canadian doctrine for police response when presented with a possible weapon situation is stricter than is the case in the US. Not meaning to start a debate or score any political points, just an observation on comparative training.
They are now saying that it was not, repeat not, an organized terror attack:
Deadly van ‘attack’ not part of organized terror plot, says Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale
Shared via the CBC News Android App
I agree.