Driver charged in deadly Boxing Day collision that saw vehicle strike pedestrians downtown

Toronto police have charged a 22-year-old man in connection with a deadly Boxing Day collision that saw a vehicle fly into a crowd of pedestrians in the downtown core.

It happened at the intersection of Richmond Street West and Yonge Street at around 2 p.m. on Dec. 26, just as many people were out shopping on the holiday.

Police previously said that a silver Kia being operated by a 22-year-old man collided with a white Hyundai being driven by a 32-year-old man.

The force of the collision sent the Kia rolling on its side into a crowd of people standing on the sidewalk.

Eight people were taken to hospital, two of them brothers in life-threatening condition. One of them, an 18-year-old man, died of his injuries a few days later.

At the time of the crash, police said the pedestrians were not standing anywhere they shouldn’t have been. One witness told CP24 that the Kia actually “launched in the air” after the initial impact and that it “turned on its side like a missile” before coming to land on the sidewalk.

Both drivers remained at the scene following the collision.

Police said Tuesday that 22-year-old Demar Kerr of Toronto has now been charged with dangerous operation of a conveyance causing death, five counts of dangerous operation of a conveyance causing bodily harm, and breach of probation order.

He was scheduled to make a court appearance at Old City Hall earlier Tuesday.