2018 Toronto van attack
A terrorist vehicle-ramming attack occurred on April 23, 2018, when a rented van was driven along Yonge Street through the North York City Centre business district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The driver, 25-year-old Alek Minassian, targeted pedestrians, killing 11[n 1] and injuring 15, some critically.[2] The incident is the deadliest vehicle-ramming attack in Canadian history.[3][4][5][6][7]
"2018 Toronto attack" redirects here. For the mass shooting in July, known locally as the Danforth shooting, see 2018 Toronto shooting.2018 Toronto van attack
April 23, 2018
1:22 – 1:32 p.m. (EDT)
Pedestrians, particularly women
11 (including a victim who died in 2021)[1]
15
Alek Minassian
Notoriety, misogynist terrorism
10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder
Life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 25 years
The attack started at the intersection of Yonge Street and Finch Avenue and proceeded south along the sidewalks of Yonge Street to near Sheppard Avenue. Nine of the eleven killed were women.[8][9] The perpetrator was arrested just south of the crime scene, after leaving the van and reportedly attempting to commit suicide by cop. The arrest was made at 1:32 p.m. EDT, seven minutes after the first 9-1-1 call was made.[10]
The attack is characterized as misogynist terrorism because it was motivated by revenge for perceived sexual and social rejection by women. At the time of his arrest, Minassian described himself as an incel to the police and in prior social media postings, and described the attack as the continuation of an "incel rebellion", started by the late Elliot Rodger.[11] Minassian pleaded not criminally responsible to the 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder in November 2020, but was found to be guilty on all counts in March 2021.[12] Anne Molloy, the judge of the case, said that "working out his exact motivation for this attack is ... close to impossible" but that she "was inclined to accept" assessments by multiple expert witnesses that Minassian likely lied to the police and that notoriety was his main motivation, although misogyny or incel ideology may have played a role.[13] On June 13, 2022, Minassian was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years.[14]
The eleven victims killed in the attack were:
Fifteen others were injured, including Robert Anderson, Amir Kiumarsi (Persian: امیر کیومرثی), Aleksandra Kozhevinikova (Russian: Александра Кожевникова), Mavis Justino, Hyeon Jeong Moon (Hangul: 문현정), Morgan McDougall, Jun Seok Park (Hangul: 박정숙), Samantha Peart, So Ra (Hangul: 라소), Catherine Riddell, Sammantha Samson, Xiaolong An (Chinese: 安小龙), Beverly Smith, Dina Risin, and Yunsheng "Bob" Tian (Chinese: 田云生).[40][41][42][43][44]
Alek Minassian
Canada
- First-degree murder (10 charges)
- Attempted murder (16 charges)
Life imprisonment with the possibility of parole in 25 years
0 (released after 16 days of training)
C23249161
Legal proceedings[edit]
On April 24, 2018, Minassian appeared without a lawyer before the Ontario Court of Justice in a Toronto courthouse, shackled and wearing a white prison jumpsuit. He was charged with 10 counts of first degree murder and 13 counts of attempted murder and ordered not to contact any of the alleged attempted murder victims.[47][70] His father, Vahe Minassian, attended the hearing. He told reporters that he had not spoken to his son.[71] Minassian was charged with three additional counts of attempted murder on May 10: a total of 16 counts.[72] He later retained Toronto criminal defence lawyer Boris Bytensky to represent him.[73] His trial was initially scheduled for February 10, 2020,[74] later moved to March 2,[75] and later moved to April 6, but was postponed again because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto to November.[11][76]
The trial began on November 10, 2020, and was conducted over Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[77] Minassian, who had already admitted to planning and carrying out the attack, pleaded not criminally responsible to the 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder.[78][79] During testimony on November 12, a psychiatrist retained by Minassian's defense team stated in a report that Minassian's "autistic way of thinking was severely distorted in a way similar to psychosis," despite Minassian not being technically psychotic.[80] Attempts by Minassian and his defense to claim that he was not responsible for his actions due to his autism garnered criticism from autism rights advocates, who expressed concerns that the trial might worsen stigmas towards autistic people.[13] Minassian was also found to be highly intelligent.[81]
In the decision, Ontario Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy believed that Minassian seemed to be motivated by the desire for notoriety, and referred to him as "Mr. Doe" so as to avoid giving him further recognition.[13] She wrote, "It is almost impossible to tell when Mr. Doe is lying and when he is telling the truth. Working out his exact motivation for this attack is likewise close to impossible," but that "nevertheless, I am inclined to accept the assessment of all of the experts that Mr. Doe did lie to the police about much of the incel motivation he talked about and that the incel movement was not in fact a primary driving force behind the attack."[13] She also rejected his attempt to use his autism as a defence.[82] On March 3, 2021, Minassian was found guilty on all counts in a verdict that was given by Molloy and streamed live on YouTube.[83] However, sentencing was deferred until 2022 to await the decision of the Supreme Court of Canada in R v Bissonnette on whether prisoners can be made to serve murder sentences consecutively.[84] On June 13, 2022, Minassian was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years.[14] He filed a notice of appeal the following month, arguing among other things that the trial judge "misapprehended" expert evidence and made unreasonable findings.[85]