TORONTO — The driver of a vehicle that struck several pedestrians on Toronto Metropolitan University's downtown campus may have been targeting a specific individual on the walkway before speeding away from the scene, police said Tuesday.
Four people were injured in the hit-and-run and two of them were taken to hospital, but none were university students or staff, police said.
It happened shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday on the campus's Nelson Mandela Walk, a treelined pedestrian walkway beside the university library connecting Gould Street and Gerrard Street.
Toronto police duty Insp. Todd Jocko said while the investigation is still in its early stages, it appears that the vehicle was intentionally targeting a person on the walkway.
"We're still working to confirm all of those details, however, at this stage it appears to be an isolated incident," Jocko told reporters at the scene.
He said the driver and the targeted person may have known each other, but the exact nature of their relationship was not immediately clear.
The vehicle has been described as a green sedan with a smashed windshield and the licence plate DEDZ-565. Police didn't provide a description of the driver.
Jocko said the two people who were taken to hospital appeared to be bystanders, and the other two pedestrians involved had very minor injuries.
A Toronto Metropolitan University employee whose office has a view of the scene said she suddenly heard screaming outside and then saw a car racing down the walkway.
"And then three seconds later, I was like, 'Oh my God, oh my God,'" Jama Bin-Edward, a program administrator who works on the 10th floor of TMU's Jorgenson Hall, said in an interview.
Bin-Edward said she saw some people being put on stretchers after police and firefighters arrived, and other people grabbing shoes that they lost in the scramble to run to safety.
She said anyone could have been walking through the campus at that time.
"(It) could have been just anyone taking a walk, which is so crazy," she said.
Police said the suspect vehicle was last seen travelling eastbound on Gould Street toward Church Street.
Other witnesses said the car entered the walkway from Gerrard Street. There didn't seem to be any physical barriers preventing cars from driving on the walkway from that street before the incident, although two large planters were placed at that spot afterward.
Isaac Meng, an international student at the university, said he heard a car revving and people shouting. He then came out and saw a person lying near a bench, who did not appear to be responsive.
"It was pretty crazy," Meng said. "I always think that this type of events always happen in (something) like the movies or a documentary, but they really happened on campus."
Part of the walkway was cordoned off with yellow police tape Tuesday afternoon, with a few police officers on the scene.
A safety alert posted by the university advised people to avoid the area, but said there was no impact to classes or exams and that employees should continue to work as usual.
"Our thoughts are with those who have been injured and impacted by this incident," the university said in a statement. "We remind our community members that university support services are available for those who need them."
City Coun. Chris Moise, who represents the area, said the incident reminded him of the 2018 van attack in north Toronto that killed multiple people. He said he was relieved to learn that there were no fatalities reported in Tuesday's crash.
"This is why it was so important for me to come here, you know, and show my support to the student population and to the staff who are here," he told reporters at the scene.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 15, 2025.
Tara Deschamps and Jordan Omstead, The Canadian Press
