A downtown hit-and-run which killed a 20-year-old man early this morning has now been deemed a homicide by Toronto police, who believe that a nightclub fight led to the death. A manhunt has now begun for a suspect.
Police say that the victim was at the Rockwood Club in the Entertainment District when an "altercation" took place and later spilled out onto Wellington Street West.
Around the same time, a male suspect got into a dark grey SUV, similar to a Suburban or a Denali, and drove eastward on Wellington Street West.
Witnesses told police that the driver pulled a u-turn and then sped toward the victim. The victim was standing on the curbside lane when he was hit, according to Const. Hugh Smith of Toronto Police Traffic Services.
The driver was last seen heading southbound on Blue Jays Way at around 2:30 a.m.
The victim has been identified as Vincent Dang of Toronto.
Smith said they are currently looking for a full-size SUV, possibly white or grey in colour with significant damage to the front-end, right-side of the vehicle.
"It's a very well-lit area with a lot of pedestrian traffic so the driver would have been able to notice him," Smith said.
"There was a lot of blood found at the scene and the man suffered severe trauma to the head and upper torso," Smith told ctvtoronto.ca.
Dang was pronounced dead at St. Michael's Hospital at 3:30 a.m.
The victim was with friends at the time and several witnesses have come forward to give their descriptions of the vehicle. Police are now collecting surveillance from nearby businesses and condominiums as well.
Police say that there were between three and five people inside the suspect vehicle at the time of the incident. Police are now urging the driver and the passengers to come forward.
The suspect driver has been described as a brown-skinned male, aged between 19-25, with a thin build, a moustache and a goatee. The suspect was wearing a black jacket with stripes on the collar and sleeve.
