Toronto van attack: 'Shoot me in the head,' suspect told cops [Video]

Toronto police have identified the suspect in the van attack as a 25-year-old Alek Minassian, who told cops to "shoot me in the head". The suspect drove a van into pedestrians that killed 10 people and injured 15 others Monday.

A video, which was taken from a car on the street and shared on social media, shows a Toronto Police Service officer shouting at the suspect, "Get down! Get down!" The suspect pointed at what appeared to be a gun and said: "shoot me in the head".

When the suspect said "Kill me," the officer replied, "No, get down." The suspect then said, "I have a gun in my pocket," to which the officer replied, "I don't care. Get down."

The suspect was arrested after he dropped the object in his hands. The officer, whose name has not been revealed, was later praised for not shooting the suspect.

Gary Clement, a retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police superintendent, told Reuters that the suspect was trying to be executed.

"It's quite apparent that the suspect was trying to be executed. He was really looking for 'suicide-by-cop,'" Clement told Reuters.

"I would say this individual met the right police officer. Nobody knows how they're going to react. In this situation, a lot of it comes down to muscle memory. This guy reacted in a very mature manner," he added.

Toronto police chief Mark Saunders said, "the officer's behavior reflected the high caliber of training that takes place. They are taught to use as little force as possible in any given situation."

The suspect, Minassian from Richmond Hill a suburb in Toronto, in a white Ryder van drove erratically on the road and on the sidewalk at Yonge Street and Finch Avenue at around 1:30 pm.

Saunders told media during a press conference that the motive behind the attack was unknown and the suspect was not known previously known to them.

Canadian public safety minister Ralph Goodale took to Twitter to thank the Toronto police and offer condolences.

"Grateful for the brave and professional response of @TorontoPolice and other first responders to the horrific attack at Yonge and Finch. Canadians are appalled at what happened. The victims and their families have our deepest condolences," Goodale tweeted.