Police have named they suspect in a deadly van attack in Toronto as 25-year-old Alek Minassian.

Authorities say Mr Minassain drove his car through a busy street in Toronto on Monday at 1:30pm local time, killing at least 10 people and wounding at least 15 others. The suspect came from the Toronto suburb of Richmond Hill, police said.

Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders told reporters the incident "definitely looked deliberate," though he would not call it an act of terror. He added that the motive was still unknown, and that police had no prior knowledge of the suspect.

"This is very early in the investigation, there is no avenue we won’t explore," Mr Saunders said at a press conference. "...We open all the lanes at the start and we follow wherever the evidence takes us."

Minister of Public Safety Ralph Goodale added that there was no indication the incident was related to national security.

“The events that happened behind us are horrendous but they do not appear in any way to be connected to national security," Mr Goodale said. He did not raise the national terror threat level.

Authorities say the suspect drove southbound on Yonge Street during the busy lunch hour, occasionally ploughing through the sidewalk and through northbound lanes. Photos from the scene showed benches and fire hydrants overturned, and bodies covered in tarps laying in the street.

Footage taken in the aftermath of the attacked appeared to show the suspect telling police to shoot him, and warning police that he was armed.

Toronto van attack: in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Toronto van attack: in pictures Toronto van attack: in pictures The front end damage of the van that a driver used to hit several pedestrians in Toronto. AFP/Getty Toronto van attack: in pictures A lone police officer confronts the man suspected of driving the rented white van. rayy0889/Twitter/Screengrab Toronto van attack: in pictures Alek Minassian, 25, of Richmond Hill, a suburb north of Toronto, was arrested after he drove the vehicle into pedestrians. LinkedIn Toronto van attack: in pictures 10 people were killed in the city on Monday, 23rd April. AP Toronto van attack: in pictures Farzad Salehi consoles his wife, Mehrsa Marjani, who was at a nearby cafe and witnessed the aftermath. AP Toronto van attack: in pictures Emergency services closed Yonge Street after the van mounted a pavement crashing into a crowd of pedestrians. AP Toronto van attack: in pictures A covered body lies on Yonge Street. EPA Toronto van attack: in pictures Police inspect the van involved with the collision. Getty Toronto van attack: in pictures People sign a memorial for the victims. AP Toronto van attack: in pictures Police officers stand by a covered body. Aaron Vincent Elkaim/The Canadian Press via AP

"I have a gun in my pocket ... shoot me in the head," a person identified as the suspect could be heard saying in a video posted to social media.

Mr Saunders said Mr Minassian was taken into custody "without incident," less than 30 minutes after police received a 911 call. He added that there was nothing to indicate the suspect actually had a gun, and praised the officers for their response.

"The officers here are taught to use as little force as possible in any given situation," he said. ​​​​"The officers did a fantastic job ... and had a peaceful resolution at the end of the day."

Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto confirmed they had received 10 victims of the attack, two of whom were declared dead upon arrival. Five more were in critical condition, the hospital said on Twitter. North York General Hospital told CTV News they had also received victims.