Dash cam shows new details about the route the van attack driver took
Posted April 26, 2018 2:26 pm.
Last Updated April 26, 2018 4:13 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO, ON. (NEWS 1130) – Maclean’s has obtained chilling new video footage of the Toronto van attack — shedding new light on the route driven by the alleged killer, and revealing just how lucky some pedestrians were to avoid his deadly path.
It has been widely reported that the Ryder rental van travelled south on Yonge St. until reaching Poyntz Ave., where it turned right and was ultimately met by police. But this latest clip, recorded by a witness’ dashboard camera, shows the white Ryder van speeding south on Beecroft Rd. — one block west of Yonge. It is now clear that the van steered away from Yonge at some point after the rampage, then continued southbound on Beecroft.
The man who recorded the video, who has asked to remain anonymous, was stopped at the intersection of Beecroft and Sheppard Ave. W. shortly after 1:30 p.m. on Monday. He was driving north, waiting at a red light, when he saw the van approaching in the distance, heading south. “What caught my eye was that the wheel on the driver’s side was kind of crooked, so it was squealing,” says the man, 60. “Because of the damage in the front of the van, I thought the guy was running away from a hit-and-run.”
The van barreled through the red light, weaving around cars and trucks as it passed through the intersection. Three pedestrians — including a woman pushing a baby stroller, and another woman looking at her cellphone — had finished crossing the street just seconds earlier, oblivious to how close they came to being potential victims.
Moments later, the camera captures a police cruiser in pursuit, sirens blaring. It is not clear whether the police car belonged to Constable Ken Lam — the Toronto officer who arrested Alek Minassian, in a clip that has since gone viral — but the man who recorded the video showing the speeding van is fairly certain it was. In his rear-view mirror, he could see the van turn toward Poyntz Ave., where the driver was apprehended.
A Toronto police spokesman declined to comment on the content of the video, including the van’s route, but said they consider the clip potential evidence and hope to speak with the person who filmed it. The man who shared the footage with Maclean’s is co-operating with police.
