ONTARIO SUPERIOR COURT OF JUSTICE
(Toronto Region)
BETWEEN:
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN
- and
–
ALEK MINASSIAN
_____________________________________________
AGREED STATEMENT OF FACTS
Pursuant to s.655 of the
Criminal Code
_____________________________________________
The accusedAlek MINASSIAN and the Crown agree upon the following facts:
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1. The Agreed Statement of Facts includes all written facts,photographs and diagrams contained herein as well as theimbedded video clipsattachedtothis document.2. After his arrest on April 23, 2018, the accused provided anaudio/video recorded statement to police. Alek MINASSIANadmits that the statement was voluntary and compliant with
Charter
requirements. Alek MINASSIAN does not contest theadmissibility of this statement. For the most part, thetranscript of that statement is accurate. If any disagreementshall arise, then the audio portion of the interview (not thetranscript) is the evidence
.
This Agreed Statement of Factscontains references to what the accused told police duringthat statement.
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BACKGROUND
3. The accused, Alek MINASSIAN (hereinafter
“MINASSIAN”)
was bornin the Greater Toronto Area on November 3, 1992. At the time of theincident, being April 23, 2018, MINASSIAN resided at an address inRichmond Hill
(‘Minassian
Family
Residence’)
with his father, mother and brother.MINASSIAN has no other siblings.4. MINASSIAN attended Thornlea Secondary School in Thornhill, wherehe obtained an Ontario Secondary School Diploma in January, 2011.MINASSIAN thereafter completed his post-secondary education in April, 2018 at Seneca College at York University, where he completedthe course requirements for and earned a
bachelor’s
degree inSoftware Development.
FACEBOOK
5. MINASSIAN had a Facebook account in his name. The account,which was active on April 23, 2018, was registered with Facebookon March 10, 2018.
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RENTALOFTHERYDERVAN
6. MINASSIAN began planning the murders in advance of April 23,2018.7. On April 4, 2018, at 11:15am, MINASSIAN made a reservationover the telephone with the Ryder Rental Company for a
“
10foot, gas cargo panel
van”
. The pick-up date was set for April 23,2018 at 1:00pm at the Ryder Truck Rental Canada Ltd. storelocatedat 700 CreditstoneRoad,Concord,Ontario.8. On April 23, 2018, at approximately 11:38 am, MINASSIAN wasdropped off by his father, in front of the Chapters store located at3900 Highway 7, Woodbridge, Ontario. This location is a stripmall which contains a number of stores. The drop off wascaptured by the
mall’s
video surveillance system and was alsoconfirmed by his father during his videotaped statement providedtopolice.
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9. MINASSIAN had lied to his father and told him he was going tomeet a friend at the Chapters where he was dropped off. Hisfatherbelieved that he was driving his sontherefor this purpose.10. After being dropped off by his father, MINASSIAN walked to theRyder Rental location at 700 Creditstone Road, arriving atapproximately 12:40pm
.
11. According to Google Maps, the distance between whereMINASSIAN was dropped off and the Ryder location isapproximately 4 km.
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12. Matthew DEL GROSSO was working at the front counter of theRyder store. He processed the rental agreement at 12:51pm whenMINASSIANarrived topick up the van.13. MINASSIAN provided a valid Ontario
driver’s
licence and a TD VISAcredit card in his name to secure the rental. When asked what wasgoing tobe put in thevan, MINASSIANreplied
“furniture”
.14. The vehicle rented by MINASSIAN was a 2014 Chevrolet Express3500 van with OntarioLicenceplatesAH79033.15. When DEL GROSSO told MINASSIAN that the van he had reservedwas waiting for him at the front of the store, MINASSIAN said
‘I
thought I was getting a
truck’
; MINASSIAN looked confused andultimatelyindicatedthat the10 foot van was okay.
7
8
16. Prior to leaving the Ryder rental location, MINASSIAN wasprovided a receipt which was placed in a folder alongside therental agreement. The invoice and rental agreement werelocated in the front area of the van. The following is a copy of therental receipt:
17. Prior to his departure, MINASSIAN spoke with another Ryder employee, Jessica and asked for her assistance with putting thevan in drive. Jessicatold him how to do so.
DRIVINGTOYONGESTREETANDFINCHAVENUEWEST
18. Once he left the Ryder store, MINASSIAN drove south onCreditstoneRoadtoHighway 7.19. He then proceeded eastbound on Highway 7 to Yonge Street andthendrove south onYongeStreet.20. As he travelled south on Yonge Street, he approached a red lightat Finch Avenue West and stopped. He saw that a number of people were congregated on the west sidewalk of Yonge Street,south of Finch Avenue West and it was at this point that hedetermined thathe was going tobegin his
“mission”
.
9
10
21.At 1:27 EST, MINASSIAN used his cellphone to postthe following message on his Facebook page:
22.
MINASSIAN’s
Canadian Military infantry number was 00010and his personalID number was C23249161.23. Video surveillance from 5650 Yonge Street captured the vantravelling southbound on Yonge Street in the middle laneapproachingFinchAvenue West.
Videoclip#1
•
13:32:17 - 5650 Yonge (outside camera) van southboundon YongeStreetin middle lane approachingFinchAvenue.
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YONGE STREET & FINCH AVENUE WEST
➢
MURDER of Ji Hun KIM and So He CHUNG
➢
ATTEMPT MURDER of Xiaolong AN, So RA, Hyeon Jeong MOON, Jun Seok PARK and Mavis JUSTINO
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14
24. MINASSIAN drove the van through the intersection of YongeStreet and Finch Avenue West and mounted the dropped curbon the sidewalk on the west side of Yonge Street and began totravel southbound on the sidewalk toward a group of pedestrians.25. There were a group of people standing on the west sidewalk infront of the Korean BBQ and Bar restaurant. MINASSIANintentionally drove his vehicle at this group and struck seven (7)pedestrians with the van. Those pedestrians include Ji Hun KIM,So He CHUNG, Xiaolong AN, So RA, Hyeon Jeong MOON, JunSeok PARK and Mavis JUSTINO. As a result of the collision,KIM and CHUNG were pronounceddead on scene.26. The following is a photograph of thearea after thecollision:
15
16
27. MINASSIAN accelerated over top of the victims, never slowing. He drove in one swift move and did not brake whenhe hit the pedestrians. At no point after hitting this first groupof people did MINASSIAN slow down or stop to render assistance to those he struck. Instead, MINASSIANacceleratedthevan as he went over people.28. Twenty-two (22) year old Ji Hun KIM was walking withXiaolong AN southbound on the west sidewalk of YongeStreet. They had just crossed over Finch Avenue Westtoward the southwest corner of Yonge Street and Finch Avenue when both were struck by the van driven byMINASSIAN. As a result of the collision, KIM was found withvital signs absent. Anumber of bystanders including a policeconstable performed first aid on her; however, shesuccumbedtoher injuries.
17
29. An autopsy was performed and the coroner concluded that
KIM’s
causeof deathwas blunt impactchesttrauma.30. Twenty-two (22) year old So He CHUNG was walking with her friend, So RA, prior to being struck by MINASSIAN. Anumber of first responders performed first aid on CHUNG after beingstruck;however, shealso succumbedto herinjuries.31. The coroner concluded that
CHUNG’s
cause of death wasblunt impact chesttrauma.
18
19
32.Twenty-one (21) year old Xiaolong AN sufferedminor injuries and did not attend a hospital. AN wasstruck on his backpack by the white van from behind,causing him to spin around and hit a wall. AN stoodup and noticed his arm was injured. He alsosuffered scrapes on both elbows and on his leftknee.33.Twenty-three (23) year old So RA suffered a broken jaw and fractured ribs. She was transported toSunnybrook Health Sciences Centre to receivetreatment for her injuries.
34. Twenty-five (25) year old Hyeon Jeong MOON was walkingalongside her boyfriend, Jun Seok PARK, when she was struckby MINASSIAN. MOON suffered from bleeding to the brain and afractured pelvis. She was transported to Sunnybrook HealthSciences Centre to receive treatment for her injuries, whichincluded a brain injury that affected her ability to remember thepeoplein herlife.35. As a result of being hit by the van being driven by MINASSIAN,thirty-three (33) year old PARK suffered from bleedingto the brainand a fractured lumbar. He was transported to SunnybrookHealth SciencesCentreto receivetreatmentfor his injuries.36. Forty-two (42) year old Mavis JUSTINO was also walking on thewest sidewalk of Yonge Street at Finch Avenue. As a result of being struck by MINASSIAN, JUSTINO suffered a dislocatedshoulder, fractured left ribs and received 15 stitches to the back of her head and 2 stitches to her right arm. She was treated at NorthYork GeneralHospital.
20
YONGE STREET and TOLMAN STREET
➢
MURDER of Geraldine BRADY and Chul Min KANG
21
37. After striking this first group of people, MINASSIAN continuedsouthbound on the west sidewalk. He was able to avoidstriking a number of obstacles on the sidewalk, including a firehydrant, a number of steel newspaper boxes, large concreteplanters and a food kiosk situated in front of the
Shopper’s
DrugMart.38. As a result of seeing the van striking the group, others on thesidewalk began screaming and running onto the street andtoward the wall near the
Shopper’s
Drug Mart. MINASSIANwas travelling at an estimated speed range of 39 - 47 km/h ina section of the sidewalk in front of 5586 Yonge Street, as heapproached the intersection at Tolman Street. MINASSIANhad both hands on the wheel and was leaning forward as hedrove thevan towardpedestriansonthesidewalk.
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39. As MINASSIAN approached Tolman Street, the front
driver’s
side corner of
MINASSIAN’s
van struck eighty-three (83) year old Geraldine BRADY. BRADY had just finished parking her motor vehicle along the west curb of Yonge Street in front of aShoppers Drug Mart. She then walked southbound on the westsidewalk of Yonge Street where she was struck. Just prior tostriking BRADY, video surveillance captured people running outof the way of thevan as it approachedthem.40. When MINASSIAN struck her with his van, BRADY wasprojected forward in a southeast direction towards the edge of the sidewalk. The right side of her head struck the ground andshe slid to her final resting point. BRADY was located on thenorthwest corner of Yonge and Tolman Street, near the Bank of Montreallocatedat 5522YongeStreet.
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24
Video clip #2
•
1:23:55 - West sidewalk of Yonge Street looking southbound toward Tolman Street.
41. BRADY was pronounced dead on scene. The followingphotograph depicts the final resting place of BRADY after beingstruckby MINASSIAN.
25
42. The coroner concluded that
BRADY’s
cause of death was bluntinjuries tothe headand chest.43. After striking BRADY, MINASSIAN continued southbound;however, he had to swerve slightly to the right (west) to avoid astopped vehicle facing eastbound on Tolman Street waiting tomake a right turn. MINASSIAN drove across Tolman Street andcontinued south on the west sidewalk of Yonge Street. At no pointdid he slow down or stop in orderto renderassistancetoBRADY.44. Forty-five (45) year old Chul Min KANG was walking on the westsidewalk of YongeStreetjust south of Tolman Street whenMINASSIAN struck him from behind with the van and ran himover. KANG was then dragged under the van, which created awhite scuff mark and scrape mark on the west sidewalk. KANGwas finally dislodged from under the van and came to rest on thewest sidewalk in front of 5512 Yonge Street.
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45. MINASSIAN was travelling at an approximate speed of 47km/h when he ran over KANG. The van went by so fast thatit shooka store-frontwindow.46. Police Constable Dorobantu #10981 arrived on scene at1:30pm and saw KANG in front of 5512 Yonge Street. Bloodwas coming from his mouth, nose and the side of his head.KANG was pronounceddead on scene.47. The following photographdepicts
KANG’s
final restingspot:
27
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48. The coroner concluded that
KANG’s
cause of death wasmultipleinjuries, particularlytothe headand torso.49. After striking KANG, MINASSIAN continued southbound onthe west sidewalk. At no point did he slow down or stop inorder to render assistancetoKANG.
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YONGE STREET & KEMPFORD BOULEVARD
➢
ATTEMPT MURDER of Robert ANDERSON50. For a section of the sidewalk in front of Chatime (5494 YongeStreet), MINASSIAN was travelling at an approximate speed of 50 km/h. The video surveillance at this location captured threepeoplerunning out of theway of the van.
Video clip #3
•
13:24:54 - 5494 Yonge Street - indoor camera captures sidewalk and road through store front glass - Van southbound on sidewalk
–
3 people ran out of way.
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31
51. MINASSIAN continued southbound on the sidewalk toKempford Boulevard where he deliberately veered off his routeand struck ANDERSON, before driving back ontothe sidewalk.He drove off the sidewalk onto the west crosswalk (roadway)where he struck Robert ANDERSON using the front driver sidecorner of the van. Fifty-nine (59) year old ANDERSON flew upin the air and then came down striking his head on the ground.The speed at which MINASSIAN was driving the vehicle whenhe struck ANDERSON caused the
victim’s
socks to beknockedoff his feet.
Video clip #4
•
13:24:14 - 5433 Yonge Street
–
van going through Kempford Boulevard and hit the victim ANDERSON
.
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52. During the collision, vehicle parts came off of the van beingdriven by MINASSIAN, including several pieces of blackplastic, the driver-side side-marker and parts of the headlight.The vehicle parts were left on the roadway near ANDERSON,on thewest sidewalk south of Kempford Boulevard.53. ANDERSON suffered major injuries and was transported toSunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. His injuries includedbleeding in the skull, broken left ribs, a collapsed left lung, andbleedingin his kidney.54. The following photograph depicts where ANDERSON landedafter being struck:
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35
55. After having struck ANDERSON, MINASSIAN drove acrossKempford Boulevard, mounted the dropped curb at thesouthwest corner and continued southbound back on the westsidewalk of Yonge Street. At no point did MINASSIAN slowdown or stop and renderassistancetoANDERSON.
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37
➢
MURDER of Mary Elizabeth FORSYTH
56. As he continued southbound on the sidewalk, MINASSIANstruck ninety-four (94) year old Mary Elizabeth FORSYTHfrom behind in front of
Lisa’s
Nail Spa (Unit 3
–
5440 YongeStreet), while driving at a high rate of speed. The victimFORSYTH was using a walker at the time as she walkedsouthbound on the west sidewalk of Yonge Street, south of Kempford Boulevard. MINASSIAN struck FORSYTH frombehind and sideswiped and scraped a concrete structure infront of a commercial building at 5440 Yonge Street.FORSYTH flipped in the air in a southern direction andlandednear thefront of units 2 and 3 of 5440YongeStreet.57. The following photograph depicts the area where FORSYTHcameto rest afterbeing struck:
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39
58.FORSYTH was bleeding from her head andsuffered other major injuries. She was transportedto Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, whereshe succumbed to her injuries.59.The coroner concluded that
FORSYTH’s
cause of death was blunt force injuries.60.As the van continued southbound on the westsidewalk at a high rate of speed, nearby motoristswere honking their horns to try to makepedestrians aware of
MINASSIAN’s
actions.
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YONGE STREET & HORSHAM AVENUE
➢
ATTEMPT MURDER of Amir KIUMARSI, Aleksandra KOZHEVINIKOVA, Catherine RIDDELL and Dina RISIN61. MINASSIAN continued to drive southbound on the west sidewalkheading toward Horsham Avenue. The front bumper of the vanstruck a yellow fire hydrant which caused a large dent on thepassenger side of the front bumper. MINASSIAN then ran overthat fire hydrant creating another dent and yellow paint transfersat several locations of the
van’s
under carriage. The fire hydrantwas dragged along the sidewalk and created a scrape mark forapproximately15metres.
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62. In front of 5430 Yonge Street on the west sidewalk,MINASSIAN struck fifty-two (52) year old Amir KIUMARSI.The yellow fire hydrant, which was still being dragged under the van, struck the left rear area of
KIUMARSI’s
body and leftyellow paint transfer marks on his jeans and blood stains onthesidewalk.63. KIUMARSI suffered major injuries including a skull and spinefracture and abdominal bleeding. He was transported toSunnybrook Health Sciences Centre where he receivedtreatment for his injuries. At no point did MINASSIAN slowdown or stop in orderto render assistancetoKIUMARSI.
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43
64.MINASSIAN continued driving southbound on thewest sidewalk of Yonge Street. He struck a YellowPages box and a Canada Post mailbox in front of 5430 Yonge Street. As a result of the impact, theboxes were damaged and pushed further south onthe west sidewalk.65.The following photographs depict the damage andaftermath of hitting the fire hydrant and metalboxes:
44
45
46
66.Further south, in front of Publique Café Bar (Unit 20of 5418 Yonge Street) on the west sidewalk,MINASSIAN struck a metal fence with the frontpassenger side of the van and scraped a concreteplanter with the
driver’s
side of the van. A fewvehicle parts were detached from the van and lefton the concrete planter and on the sidewalk.67.The following photographs depict the damagecaused by MINASSIAN:
47
48
68.At this same location, MINASSIAN struck AleksandraKOZHEVINIKOVA. It is unclear if
MINASSIAN’s
vanstruck the victim directly or if she was struck indirectlywith the metal fence that
MINASSIAN’s
van had struck. As a result of the impact, ninety (90) year oldKOZHEVINIKOVA was thrown toward the door of anearby restaurant. At no point did MINASSIAN slowdown or stop in order to render assistance toKOZHEVINIKOVA.69.KOZHEVINIKOVA was transported to St.
Michael’s
Hospital where she received treatment for her injuries,which included hip surgery.
49
50
70. MINASSIAN continued driving southbound on the westsidewalk of Yonge Street. Sixty-seven (67) year oldCatherine RIDDELL was walking southbound on the westsidewalk in front of Yonge Optic (Unit 3 of 5418 YongeStreet). Witnesses saw MINASSIAN driving toward thevictim. He then struck her and the glass wall of a TorontoTransit Commission bus shelter. The impact causedRIDDELL to go flying into the air and land on the busshelter with the glass from the bus shelter raining down onher. RIDDELL was badly injured but was capable of speakingwhen she awoke.71. RIDDELL suffered major injuries including minor braintrauma, broken ribs, broken scapula and a broken pelvis.She was transported to St.
Michael’s
Hospital for medicaltreatment.72. At no point did MINASSIAN stop or slow down in order torender assistancetoRIDDELL.
51
73. The following photographs depict the scene after thecollision:
52
53
74.MINASSIAN continued southbound onto the westcrosswalk at Horsham Avenue and Yonge Street,where he struck eighty (80) year old Dina RISIN.RISIN had been walking northbound crossingHorsham Avenue on the west side of Yonge Streetafter just having exited the nearby Metro grocerystore. She saw the van coming up to her very fastand she jumped to her right in an attempt to avoidMINASSIAN. The driver-side mirror of the van hither on the left side of the head. RISIN suffered minor injuries to her head and did not attend a hospitalafter receiving assistance from EMS attendants.75.At no point did MINASSIAN stop or slow down inorder to render assistance to RISIN.
76. MINASSIAN continued southbound on the west sidewalk of Yonge Street. Cars were still honking to warn nearbypedestrians. Some pedestrians were able to jump out of the
van’s
path as a result. In front of the parking lot of 5400 YongeStreet, MINASSIAN struck a concrete parking barrier andvehicle parts from the van were dislodged and scattered onthewest sidewalk.77. In front of the Toronto Cosmetic Clinic (5400 Yonge Street) onthe west sidewalk, MINASSIAN was travelling at anapproximate speedof 33 km/h.78. At 5376 Yonge Street, there was a vehicle parked in a spacebetween the front of the building and the west sidewalk of Yonge Street. The passenger side of
MINASSIAN’s
van struckthe
driver’s
side of the parked vehicle and damaged the sidemirror. MINASSIAN continued driving southbound on the westsidewalk of Yonge Street.
54
5372 YONGE STREET
➢
ATTEMPT MURDER of Yunsheng (Bob) TIAN79. In front of Taftan Kebab (5372 Yonge Street) on the westsidewalk, MINASSIAN struck and ran over Yunsheng (Bob)TIAN. The victim TIAN had been walking southbound on thewest sidewalk of Yonge Street south of Horsham Avenue. Atthe point of impact,
TIAN’s
body was wrapped on to the hoodof
MINASSIAN’s
van and was subsequently run over by thevan.
55
80. There were black scuff marks located on the sidewalk in thearea of the impact. Twenty-eight (28) year old TIAN wastransported to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Hesuffered a traumatic brain injury, surgical fractures of hislumbar spine (which required a metal plate), a fracture tohis right humerus, 24 broken vertebrae, facial fractures anda laceration of his left leg. At no point did MINASSIAN stopor slow down in order torenderassistancetoTIAN.81. The back passenger side of the van struck a wooden fenceand broke several pieces of the fence. In addition, morevehicleparts from the van were dislodged.
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57
YONGE STREET & CHURCHILL AVENUE
82. MINASSIAN continued southbound on the west sidewalk of Yonge Street towards Churchill Avenue. At Churchill Avenue,he veered left (east) onto the roadway and drove southboundin themiddle lane of southboundYongeStreet.83. At some point between Ellerslie Avenue and Parkview Avenue, MINASSIAN drove across several lanes of traffic in asoutheast direction and entered into the northbound lanes of Yonge Street. He continued driving southbound in thenorthboundlanes.
YONGE & PARKVIEW
➢
MURDER of Munir Abdo Habib NAJJAR
58
84. At the intersection of Parkview Avenue and Yonge Street,MINASSIAN struck and ran over eighty-five (85)year oldMunir Abdo Habib NAJJAR.85. NAJJAR had been crossing Yonge Street from the west to theeast side. When NAJJAR was near the east side of YongeStreet, a witness who was outside of the Symposium Caféheard NAJJAR get struck and saw him flying about 2 metres inthe air. After he was struck, NAJJAR slid in a southeastdirection for approximately 6.14 meters and landed on hishead, suffering catastrophicinjuries.86. NAJJAR was pronounced dead on scene. He was located at the southeast corner at the base of light standard #52 near Anytime Convenience. The following photograph depicts
NAJJAR’s final resting spot:
59
60
87.The coroner concluded that
NAJJAR’s
cause of death was blunt force injuries.88.At no point did MINASSIAN slow down or stop inorder to render assistance to NAJJAR
.
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62
YONGE STREET and PARK HOME AVENUE
89. MINASSIAN continued southbound in the middle lane of northbound Yonge Street. He then veered right (west),mounted and drove over the center median to enter thesouthbound lanes of Yonge Street on approach to Park Home Avenue. These actions left a few curb strikes on the east sideof the median, a scrape on top of the median and detachedthe air deflector from the bottomof the
van’s
bumper.
Videoclip#5
•
Camera on west side of Yonge Street facing eastbound
–
van crosses median and continues southbound on YongeStreet
63
90.When the van jumped the median, some witnessesdescribed seeing what they believed to be thebumper falling off in the left northbound lane of Yonge Street. One motorist exited their vehicle andmoved the broken piece onto the median.91.The following photograph depicts the pieces fromthe van that fell off as a result of crossing over themedian:
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65
YONGE STREET & PARK HOME AVENUE/EMPRESS AVENUE
➢
MURDER of Anne Marie D’AMICO and Beutis
Renuka AMARASINGHA
➢
ATTEMPT MURDER of Morgan McDOUGALL, Samantha PEART, Sammantha SAMSON and Beverly SMITH
66
67
92.MINASSIAN then drove diagonally (southwest)across the intersection and drove in a southbounddirection into the west crosswalk of Park Home Avenue and Yonge Street. MINASSIANaccelerated, mounted the dropped curb and droveon the west sidewalk where he struck six (6)pedestrians from behind: Anne Marie Victoria
D’AMICO,
Beutis Renuka AMARASINGHA,Morgan Anthony McDOUGALL, SamanthaPEART, Sammantha SAMSON, and BeverlySMITH.93.When MINASSIAN drove into the pedestrians,their bodies flew to the right and to the left of thevan.
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94. The following photograph depicts the aftermath of MINASSIANstrikingthepedestriansafter thevictims had beenremoved:
69
95. Beverly SMITH was walking southbound on YongeStreet in the west crosswalk at Park Home Avenue.She was behind the victims McDOUGALL and PEART.When SMITH was struck, she was knocked downtoward the passenger-side of the van. MINASSIANdrove over
SMITH’s
legs with the rear passenger tiresof the van.96. SMITH suffered catastrophic injuries. Both of her legswere severely injured and all internal organs wereexposed. In addition, eighty-one (81) year old SMITHsuffered numerous broken bones. She wastransported to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre,where both of her legs had to be amputated above theknee.
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97. The victims Morgan McDOUGALL and Samantha PEARTwere also walking together southbound on the westsidewalk of Yonge Street, heading towards Park Home Avenue. PEART was walking to the right of McDOUGALLand they were both behind the victims Anne Marie
D’AMICO
and Sammantha SAMSON. As they reachedthe curb of the southwest corner, McDOUGALL heardscreaming and possibly the sound of an engine. Heturned around and
MINASSIAN’s
van was right there.The front of the van being driven by MINASSIAN struckthe victims. The van came at him on a slight angle.McDOUGALL was thrown to the left of the van and hewas knocked unconscious. PEART was knocked downand run over. She too was unconscious but breathing.
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98. Twenty-six (26) year old Anthony McDOUGALL sufferedcuts and scrapes to his face, hands and forearms. Hewas transported to North York General hospital wherehe received treatment for his injuries, including stitchesand staples to the back of his head.99. Twenty-three (23) year old Samantha PEART sufferedmajor injuries including a fractured pelvis, clavicle andtailbone. She was transported to North York Generalhospital to receive treatment for her injuries.
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100.Anne Marie
D’AMICO
was walking with her co-worker Sammantha SAMSON southbound on the westcrosswalk of the intersection of Yonge Street and ParkHome Avenue approaching the southwest corner.
D’AMICO
and SAMSON had been walking behind thevictim Beutis Renuka AMARASINGHA.101.SAMSON heard an engine roar, was hit from behind andwas sent flying almost 8 metres.
D’AMICO,
who was rightbeside SAMSON, was run over by the van and draggedunderneath it. Her body was found a few metres south of the intersection. A nearby motorist went to assist
D’AMICO
and provided first aid.102. While thirty (30) year old Ann Marie
D’AMICO
was beingtransported to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, shesuccumbed to her injuries.
103.The coroner concluded that
D’AMICO’s
cause of deathwas blunt impact chest trauma.104.Thirty-five (35) year old Sammantha SAMSON sufferedinjuries including a swollen knee, bruised right elbow anda bruised right foot. She was transported to North YorkGeneral hospital where she received treatment for her injuries.
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75
105. Forty-five (45) year old Renuka AMARASINGHAwas walking southbound on the west crosswalkapproaching the southwest corner of Yonge Streetand Park Home Avenue when she was run over. Her body was caught under the van and dragged over 152 metres to Mel Lastman Square. AMARSINGHAultimately came to rest and was located besideanother victim, Andrea BRADDEN, who MINASSIANwould run over further south on the sidewalk.106.
The coroner concluded that AMARSINGHA’s cause
of death was blunt force injuries. 107.At no point did MINASSIAN stop or slow down in order to render assistance to the six people he had just struck.
108.MINASSIAN continued southbound on the westsidewalk. He was swerving right and left as he drovedown the sidewalk and he revved the engine.109. The front passenger corner of
MINASSIAN’s
van struckthree Canada Post mailboxes, pushing them aside. Hemaneuvered to the left (east) and drove around a set of trees in front of him; however, he did not move far enough to the east and as a result, he sideswiped twosmall trees consecutively. There was damage to thetrees and to the passenger side of the van. Between thetwo damaged trees, the right shoe came off the victim AMARASINGHA, who was caught under the van andwas still being dragged.
Videoclip#6
76
77
110.The following photographs depict the above-notedproperty damage caused by MINASSIAN:
78
79
111.MINASSIAN then struck a
“no standing”
sign on thewest sidewalk. The pole was bent and forced to leansouth on an angle.112.MINASSIAN continued driving southbound on thewest sidewalk toward Mel Lastman Square, located at5100 Yonge Street and which extends to North YorkBoulevard.
80
MEL LASTMAN SQUARE
➢
MURDER of Dorothy Marie SEWELL and Andrea BRADDEN
➢
ATTEMPT MURDER of Amaresh TESFAMARIAM
81
113.In front of Mel Lastman Square, while driving on thewest sidewalk, MINASSIAN struck three pedestrians: Amaresh TESFAMARIAN, Dorothy Marie SEWELLand Andrea BRADDEN.114.Prior to the collision, MINASSIAN drove the van upover the curb, onto the pedestrian sidewalk near ahot dog cart and began speeding toward people. Thevan had noticeable damage to the right passenger-side of its front bumper at this time.
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115.
South of the hot dog cart, Amaresh TESFAMARIAMwas walking northbound on the west sidewalk of Yonge Street. She stopped quickly and went east inan effort to get out of the way of
MINASSIAN’s
van.The front driver-side corner of the van struck the lower left side of TESFAMARIAM. She was forced to thedriver-side of the van where she tumbled and hit theground. Sixty-two (62) year old TESFAMARIAMsuffered major injuries including a cervical fractureand was transported to Sunnybrook Health SciencesCentre.
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116.Eighty (80) year old Dorothy SEWELL was struck frombehind and run over as she was walking southbound onthe west sidewalk of Yonge Street beneath the MelLastman Square sign. MINASSIAN used the frontportion of the van to hit SEWELL from behind. As he hither, she went up in the air, landed on the windshield andMINASSIAN kept speeding off southbound, causing
SEWELL’s
body to wrap onto the front passenger portion of the van until she fell down and was run over.She was eventually expelled from under the van in thearea of the rear passenger tire.
84
117.
The following photograph depicts SEWELL’s
final resting spot:
85
86
118.The coroner concluded that
SEWELL’s
cause of deathwas blunt force injuries including crushing injuries toher torso.119.Thirty-three (33) year old Andrea BRADDEN waswalking southbound with another female pedestrian,Michelle KELMAN to her right. They were on their wayfrom the Starbucks in front of Mel Lastman Square.MINASSIAN used the front middle portion of the van tostrike the victims from behind. KELMAN heard acommotion, turned around and saw the van. Shereacted by moving to her right (west) and managed to just avoid the path of the van that was coming at her.
120.
BRADDEN’s
upper body wrapped onto the hood of thevan but her legs were forced out in front of her.BRADDEN fell to the ground and went under the vehiclehead first. The beverage she had been holding in her hand flew back behind her and spilled all over thewindshield and roof of the van being driven byMINASSIAN.121.While under the van, BRADDEN made contact with AMARASINGHA, who was still being dragged under thevan. Both victims were dislodged from the rear of thevehicle. BRADDEN was located over a large subwayexhaust grate, lying beside AMARSINGHA, who hadbeen struck at Park Home Avenue and Yonge Street.
87
122.
The following photograph depicts AMARSINGHA’s and BRADDEN’s
final resting spot:
88
123.The coroner concluded that
BRADDEN’s
cause of death was blunt force injuries including crushinginjuries to her torso.124.As MINASSIAN mounted the sidewalk and begandriving the white van toward the nearby pedestrians,he was looking straight ahead
.
89
125.
MINASSIAN was driving straight at people. He wasobserved holding the steering wheel with both hands, hisarms straight out in the 3 and 9
o’clock
position. He wasleaning forward staring straight ahead while acceleratingdown the sidewalk. There were approximately 30-40people on the sidewalk at this time. There was nowarning when MINASSIAN mounted the sidewalkbecause he was driving so fast. People were notprepared for such an attack.126. Pedestrians on the sidewalk were panicking and runningfor their lives as MINASSIAN was deliberately driving atpeople, attempting to kill them. Some pedestrians hidbehind light standards.
Videoclip#7
90
91
127.While on the sidewalk in front of the Square,MINASSIAN picked up speed and slowed down as hedrove the van at pedestrians. At times, he steeredintentionally into people.128.The
van’s
windows were both open. People wereyelling at MINASSIAN to stop.129.After MINASSIAN mounted the curb and beganstriking pedestrians on the sidewalk, people startedrunning after the van. One person chased after
MINASSIAN’s
van and reached the driver side window.He tried to reach in the open window to stop him butMINASSIAN sped up. In this section of the sidewalk,MINASSIAN was travelling at an estimated speedrange of 25 to 27 km/h.
92
130.At no point did MINASSIAN stop or slow down in order to render assistance to those he had struck.131.MINASSIAN continued southbound on the westsidewalk. The passenger side of
MINASSIAN’s
vanstruck a bike rack and a wooden and concrete bench.They were displaced out of their original positions andwere observed moved further southwest. A vehicle partfrom the van was left on the sidewalk. The driver-side of
MINASSIAN’s
van also struck a concrete monument andscraped the west side of its facing.132.MINASSIAN continued southbound across North YorkBoulevard in the west crosswalk at Yonge Street. Hethen mounted the curb at the southwest corner andcontinued southbound on the west sidewalk.
Videoclip#8
93
94
133.
In front of Baton Rouge (Unit 102
–
5000 YongeStreet), the front passenger corner of
MINASSIAN’s
van struck a planter and knocked it over.
Videoclip#9
95
96
134.
MINASSIAN continued southbound on the west sidewalkuntil he made a right turn onto a laneway between 4980and 4950 Yonge Street (adjacent to the Goodlife Fitnesssign). He drove westbound on the laneway towardsBeecroft Road.135.Pedestrians and a police officer chased the van as itproceeded into the laneway. One person managed toreach for the door of the van and tried to open it but itwas locked.136.The white van had front end damage and the front driver side wheel of the van was flat and falling off the rim as itcrossed south at the cross walk and then turned west pastGoodlife. The van was making a loud scratching metalnoise.
97
98
BEECROFT ROAD & SHEPPARD AVENUE WEST
137.MINASSIAN drove westbound in the laneway and madea left turn at Beecroft Road. Once on Beecroft Road,MINASSIAN drove southbound in the designated left turnlane for southbound traffic. The van then travelledsouthbound in a northbound lane on Beecroft Roadtowards Sheppard Avenue West.138.At the intersection of Beecroft Road and Sheppard Avenue West, MINASSIAN ignored the red light and wentthrough the intersection at an estimated speed of 24 km/hto 26 km/h. When he drove through the red light, anumber of pedestrians and vehicles were able to moveout of the way of the van.
Videoclip#10
99
139.MINASSIAN hit the driver side mirror of a nearbymotorist as he passed the vehicle.140.MINASSIAN had two hands on the wheel and waslooking straight ahead at the road.141.MINASSIAN continued southbound in the southboundpassing lane of Beecroft Road. He made a left turn atBogert Avenue, mounted the curb at the southeastcorner and drove onto the south sidewalk of Bogert Avenue.
Videoclip#11
100
101
BOGERT AVENUE
142.After mounting the sidewalk on Bogert Avenue,MINASSIAN avoided a few concrete structures and thendrove onto the roadway of Bogert Avenue. In a shortdistance, he mounted the south curb to once againtravel eastbound on the south sidewalk of Bogert Avenue.143.MINASSIAN then made a right turn at Yonge Streetwhile staying on the sidewalk and went southbound onthe west sidewalk of Yonge Street.
102
144.MINASSIAN struck a green metal pole with thepassenger-side of his van. He then continued his turnand struck a bench, forcing it to flip onto its side. Hethen drove southbound and the driver-side tiresmounted the north curb of a tree planter. His driver-side tires were in the tree planter and his passenger tires were on the west sidewalk. MINASSIAN thenmaneuvered out of the tree planter at the south curband continued southbound approaching Poyntz Avenue.
103
104
POYNTZ AVENUE
➢
ARREST OF MINASSIAN
145.MINASSIAN then made another right turn at Poyntz Avenue while staying on the sidewalk and was nowtravelling westbound on the north sidewalk of Poyntz Avenue. Within a short distance, MINASSIAN stoppedthe van.
146.At that point, MINASSIAN, who was the sole occupant,exited the van. The van had extensive front enddamage. Officer Ken LAM confronted MINASSIAN andkept yelling at him to get down but MINASSIAN refusedto do so. Instead, MINASSIAN yelled out to the officer that he had a firearm and continued to make handgestures, which made it appear that he had a firearm, inan attempt to get the officer to shoot him.147.MINASSIAN said
“I
have a gun. Kill me now! Kill menow! Shoot
me”
. MINASSIAN was pointing what initiallylooked like a firearm at Officer LAM. MINASSIAN puthis left hand in his pocket and drew it out quickly in adown and out motion; it was very quick, like a whippingaction. MINASSIAN did not have a gun. It turned outthat what he was holding and pointing at Officer LAMwas a square wallet.
105
148.Ultimately the officer took out his baton and was aboutto strike MINASSIAN with it. Officer LAM toldMINASSIAN to get down. MINASSIAN surrenderedwith his hands up, went down on both knees and thenon his stomach. Once on the ground, MINASSIAN puthis hands behind his back. Officer LAM placed hisknee on
MINASSIAN’s
back and handcuffed him rightaway. Officers BUTLER and MIAN arrived at the sceneof
MINASSIAN’s
arrest. Officer MIAN assisted Officer LAM with the arrest.149.After assisting with the arrest, Officer MIAN stoodMINASSIAN up and conducted a pat down searchagainst the police cruiser. The search was captured onthe in-car camera video from scout car #3251.
106
Video clip # 12
In-
Car camera footage from Officer LAM’s scout car
107
108
Video clips # 13 & 14
Cellphone videos showing arrest of MINASSIAN
109
110
111
112
150.Officers BUTLER and MIAN transported MINASSIANto 32 Division in cruiser #3251. They did not speakwith MINASSIAN during the five-minute drive to 32Division.151.None of the arresting officers with whom MINASSIANhad contact spoke with MINASSIAN about the eventsthat gave rise to his arrest. In fact, Officer Butler encouraged MINASSIAN to remain silent until he hadthe opportunity to speak with counsel
.
TOTALITY OF DRIVING BY MINASSIAN
152.The entire distance of
MINASSIAN’s
travel fromYonge Street and Finch Avenue West, to thelocation where he stopped the van on Poyntz Avenue was approximately 2.57 kilometres. Of thistotal distance, MINASSIAN drove on sidewalks for approximately 1.20 kilometres.
113
GOOGLE M P OF ROUTE T KEN BY MIN SSI N
114
115
BOOKING OF MINASSIAN AT 32 DIVISION
153.Once at 32 Division, MINASSIAN was broughtinto the booking hall. The booking hall ismonitored by audio/video recording equipmentand the entire booking procedure of MINASSIANwas recorded.154.After the booking process was over,MINASSIAN was provided an orange jumpsuit;however, there were no prisoner shoes availableat the time, so MINASSIAN was provided a whitebio-hazard suit with built in shoes instead.
EXAMINATION OF THE VAN
155.The white 2014 Chevrolet Express 3500 van was examined by Toronto Police Automotive Service Technician Mark LANG #89678. The following was noted:
•
The hood of the van was crumpled up with brown liquid stains
on the driver’s side portion•
The front bumper had dents and scrapes
•
The windshield was cracked and had dried liquid in the middle
driver’s side•
The front fenders were dented and crumpled rearwards.156.LANG reported that there were no mechanical defects with thevehicle, other than those that were caused by MINASSIAN duringtheevent.157.The following photographsdepictthe damage causedtothe van:
116
117
118
