Toronto van attack leaves 10 dead and 13 injured; suspect arrested on video

Canadian officials are still trying to piece together the horrifying van attack in downtown Toronto this week. Alek Minassian, 25, has been charged with 10 counts of murder and 13 counts of attempted murder for his role in driving the truck into the crowd. Police are combing through the suspect's social media accounts in an attempt to find a motive for the attack.

Meanwhile, there has been much talk regarding the brave officer who took down Minassian, while not firing a single shot. His restraint is being both praised and vilified, however, as he is being compared to officers in the United States who have repeatedly come under scrutiny for the use of their service weapons.

In the video, it appears that the suspect has a gun and is pointing it at the officer, though it is not clear. The officer, though alone, was able to talk the suspect down and arrest him on the spot.

Trained to not use their guns

Canadian police officers differ greatly from their American counterparts in their ability to deescalate a situation. While Canadians as a whole have a reputation for being overwhelmingly friendly, that doesn't mean that altercations and violence never happen. Officers are trained extensively to always deescalate a situation as much as possible. This exact scenario played out in Toronto as the suspect tried repeatedly to get the officer to shoot him. Whether he wanted to die, or have some twisted justification to return fire is unknown.

Regardless, the officer fell back on his training and was able to handcuff the suspect and bring him to proper justice.

Use of (non) deadly force

The most puzzling aspect of the arrest to many is why the officer didn't just shoot the suspect dead. He would have been well within his right to defend himself as the suspect was pointing what appeared to be a weapon at him, as well as shouting "kill me!

However, the officer's calm approach and stern commands were enough to subdue the assailant and allow him to make the arrest.

In the United States, where police officer shootings are so common that only the unarmed suspects get attention, the officer's restraint is being praised. Even in the most horrifying of situations, there is a possibility to end it without further violence.

Families of those who have been shot by the police in the U.S. often wish the officer, or officers, showed as much restraint. The shoot first, ask questions later approach that many have seen play out is not the proper way to do it.