Toronto police appear to have engaged in a tense standoff with a suspect shortly after a van drove into multiple pedestrians on Monday, leaving 10 dead.
A cell phone video obtained by CNN partner CTV appears to show a man standing in front of a white van with a damaged front bumper. The man is yelling and extending one arm, pointing an object at an officer standing behind a black car.
The officer has his weapon drawn and pointed at the man. The officer slowly steps toward him and yells “Get down, get down!”
Later in the video, the man is seen on the ground and the officer is cuffing his hands behind him; the object can be seen lying on the ground off to the side.
Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders said earlier Monday that Alek Minassian, 25, was arrested in a white rental van in connection with the incident. Police have not said whether the person in the cell phone video was Minassian.
Reporters asked Saunders Monday whether the individual arrested in the video had a gun in his hand. “There’s nothing that indicates he has a gun,” Saunders said, adding that they need to investigate further to know what the object was.
Saunders said he applauded how his officers handled the arrest.
“I can tell you it’s directly related to the high caliber training that takes place. The officers here are taught to use as little force as possible in any given situation,” Saunders said. “Through the training, officer did a fantastic job with respect to his ability to understanding the circumstance and the environment and having a peaceful resolution at the end of the day.”
