Alek Minassian tells police about van attack and what led him to stop driving

Toronto van attack suspect Alek Minassian gave a four-hour interview to police on April 23, 2018, just hours after he allegedly carried out a deadly rampage on Yonge Street. In this section, Minassian tells police about the attack and what led him to stop driving.

Warning, some readers may find the content of the transcript disturbing.

Det. Rob Thomas: OK, and, so let me ask you this, because this is really interesting. Why do you choose Yonge and Finch?

Alek Minassian: I, I didn't choose Yonge and Finch particular. I was driving down Yonge because I knew it would be a busy area and then as soon as I saw there were ah pedestrians, I just decided to go for it.

Det. Thomas: OK and so where specifically were you in terms of your specific location? Where were you when you just decided to go for it?

Minassian: I was at some traffic lights.

Det. Thomas: OK, where?

Minassian: Actually, I don't remember. The only reason… in fact if I hadn't ah, I remember some other I, I had heard some other officer mention Yonge and Finch before, that's the only reason I really remember it.

Det. Thomas: OK.

Minassian: But otherwise I actually wouldn't have remembered…

Det. Thomas: You wouldn't have remembered.

Minassian: … that it's, yeah, Yonge and Finch. I just knew that I started seeing a lot of people walking.

Det. Thomas: OK, am I, am I correct when I, when I say that you knew at least you were on Yonge Street?

Minassian: Yes.

Det. Thomas: And you knew that you were…

Minassian: Because I specifically chose it beforehand because that's, that's why, because I even looked for that ramp from Highway 7 to Yonge.

Det. Thomas: Right, OK, OK, so nevertheless, you're at… you're at a stop light, you said?

Minassian: Yes.

Det. Thomas: You're at, and now you're faced with a red light, you're stopped?

Minassian: Yes, but as soon as it turned green I started going.

Det. Thomas: OK and just walk me through this, OK, step by step. So it turns green, what are you thinking?

Minassian: I'm thinking that this is it. I see all these people, it's time to go for it.

Det. Thomas: Time to go for it, and what do you do?

Minassian: I floor the pedal…

Det. Thomas: Yeah.

Minassian: …I speed the van towards them and I al… allow the van to collide with them.

Det. Thomas: OK and then what happens?

Minassian: Some people get knocked out of the way, some people roll ov… over the top of the van.

Det. Thomas: OK and then what, what happens?

Minassian: I continue doing that until, um, in, in fact, actually to be honest the only reason I stopped my attack was because someone's drink got splashed on my windshield and I was worried that I would crash the van anyways, so I decided OK, now I, I wanted to do more but I've kind of been foiled by the lack of visibility, so then that's when I pulled… I turned right and I pulled… and I saw the cops approaching so I decided to pull over and get out of my van.

Det. Thomas: OK, how long do you travel from the moment that you, you decide this is it, the light turns green, and you mount the sidewalk, is that right?

Minassian: Yes.

Det. Thomas: To the time that you stop, how long in terms of distance would that have been?

Minassian: About two traffic… two or three traffic lights.

Det. Thomas: Two or three traffic lights. OK. So you turn right at what street?

Minassian: I don't remember which street, I wasn't paying attention.

Det. Thomas: Why do you turn right?

Minassian: Because I, ah, because there wasn't any convenient place to stop at Yonge and I, and like I said, there was a lack of visibility on my windshield. I could hear the cops coming anyways, so the, the, when I turned right there was a convenient place to pull over on the sidewalk.

Det. Thomas: OK. OK. And so you're now, so you're, you're, you, you physically stop your vehicle.

Minassian: Yes.

Det. Thomas: You physically stop... so you end the assault.

Minassian: Yes.

Det. Thomas: And you end it because you can't see…

Minassian: Yes.

Det. Thomas: …and you knew the cops were coming.

Minassian: Yes.

Det. Thomas: OK and so then what happens at that point?

Minassian: I see, I see a patrol car pull over and I hear the cop screaming at me to get out, so I get out and I point my wallet at the cop and it… with the intent for it to be confused with a gun so that I could be fatally shot.

Det. Thomas: OK, and was that something you were thinking about?

Minassian: Yes.

Det. Thomas: And then when I mean, I, what I'm saying is…

Minassian: Even, even beforehand I premeditated as an attempted suicide by cop.

Det. Thomas: You wanted to… you wanted to be killed by the police.

Minassian: Yes.

Det. Thomas: OK, can I ask why you decided to, to equip yourself with a wallet and not something else?

Minassian: Ah I was worried, I was thinking about purchasing a toy gun but I was kind of paranoid that for some, for whatever reason, the Ryder rental company would ask to see my pockets or any bag if I chose to bring that, so I decided to go as stealthy as possible so no one suspects anything.

Det. Thomas: OK, all right. Nevertheless you get out of the, the van, the officer or, or sorry it, correct me if I'm wrong because I want to make sure I get this right, you get out of the van because the officer orders you out?

Minassian: Yes.

Det. Thomas: OK, and you want, you want to die by, by, by suicide by police, so you point your wallet at him?

Minassian: Yes.

Det. Thomas: OK and, and do you say anything to the officer?

Minassian: I actually told him I had a gun in my pocket, which was untrue.

Det. Thomas: Right.

Minassian: Then I, I, twice I stuck my left hand in my pocket and attempted to do this just to provoke a reaction.

Det. Thomas: OK.

Minassian: That, he, unfortunately he didn't react…

Det. Thomas: Right.

Minassian: …so then I ended up being ordered to the ground, so I knew at that point he's not going to shoot me so I've lost, so I just… I had no choice but to just get on the ground.

Det. Thomas: OK so just walk me through this step by step, because I'm a little confused. So you, you get out of the van, sorry you, you, turn right, you can't see, you hear the police, you know they're coming, you see the police officer approach, you stop your vehicle, ah you realize this is the end, he orders you out, you get out of the, the van.

Minassian: Yes.

Det. Thomas: Now you're planning, your plan was to die by suicide by cop, so you said you reached into your pocket, twice.

Minassian: Well actually, well originally I, I, the entire time I had, I was holding my wallet with my right hand but then when I saw that that wasn't working I reached into my pocket with my left hand, and quickly pulled it out and formed my hand into the shape of a gun like this.

Det. Thomas: OK.

Minassian: With the hope that he would panic and shoot me, that of course didn't happen.

Det. Thomas: OK and you, how, how many times did you do that…

Minassian: Twice.

Det. Thomas: …with your left hand and all the while you had your…

Minassian: Wallet….

Det. Thomas: …wallet with the other hand?

Minassian: …in my right hand.

Det. Thomas: OK and so realizing that the officer wasn't going to shoot you, what did you do at that point?

Minassian: I realize I had no choice but to get on the ground, because I was probably going to be tackled anyway, or tased, and if I'm… if I'm going to live I'd rather not encounter physically a painful experience, so I decided I have no choice but to admit defeat at that point.

Det. Thomas: Right, OK. So, when you say you admit defeat what did you do?

Minassian: I got on the ground.

Det. Thomas: OK and in terms of how, how did you get on the ground?

Minassian: Well I turned around and I got on my knees and then I got flat on the ground.

Det. Thomas: Face down?

Minassian: Yes.

Det. Thomas: OK and then what happened?

Minassian: Then he put his knee in me, on my back…

Det. Thomas: OK.

Minassian: …and then he handcuffed me.

Det. Thomas: OK.

Minassian: And then another officers arrived and pinned me down as well.

Det. Thomas: OK, all right, and then from there you were placed in the car and we already talked about that.

Minassian: Yes.