'He appeared to be smiling': Officers describe chaotic scene during Nathaniel Veltman arrest

WARNING: The details in the article may be disturbing to some readers

London, Ont. police officers were alerted to look for a black pickup truck just moments after a Muslim family was run over along Hyde Park Road in west London on June 6, 2021.

Det. Const. Matthew Hietkamp told the court on Friday he was on duty that night and was quickly re-directed to the Cherryhill Mall parking lot.

When he arrived on scene, the accused, Nathaniel Veltman was already in police custody.

Hietkamp testified, “He (Veltman) was happy, smiling, he was giddy.”

Another officer, Const. Patti Leavoy-Costa, pulled up to the scene and parked her cruiser in front of his pickup truck.

She testified that when looking at the pickup truck, “There appeared to be human tissue on the hood and fabric on the grill.”

When she described Veltman’s demeanour, Leavoy-Costa testified, “There were multiple times where he appeared to be smiling,” and, “He was excited...it was a joyous yelling and screaming. He was causing a scene.”

Four members of the Afzaal family died after the crash, including mother Madiha, father Salman, daughter Yumnah, and grandmother Talat.. The lone survivor was a nine-year-old son who is now living with relatives.

Veltman was charged and has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

Hours after being taken into custody at London Police Service Headquarters, Veltman gave a statement to Det. Micah Bourdeau. The court released the video exhibit on Thursday.

Speaking to Bourdeau approximately three hours after the crash, Veltman told the detective, “I know the deal already pretty much, I’ve done, I’ve done so much research before I did what I did, like I kind of know the deal.”

Veltman told Bourdeau he is not a white supremacist, but rather someone who believes in nationalism, and blamed the government, the media, the education system, and big corporations for his actions.

“So I decided, ‘Alright this is it, I’m going to commit a terrorist attack,’ I would blame the Western governments for what happened. You can say, ‘Oh it’s your fault Nate, you chose to commit violence,’ but guess what, I’m not allowed any other option of violence. They leave you no choice, they leave us no option.”

Nathaniel Veltman, 22, accused in the murder of a London, Ont. Muslim family speaks with a detective at London Police Service headquarters in this screenshot. (Source: Superior Court of Justice)

Veltman continued, “It’s not just the news, why is every single educational institution doing the exact same thing, why is every corporation promoting the same far left liberal agenda? Why is the upper elite class promoting this hatred of just normal white people?”

During his statement to police, Veltman said no one knew what he was planning.

“Cause originally I was going to go on a rampage but after I felt so sick to my stomach, I did. It was surprisingly easier than I thought, like I thought I was going to keep hesitating and hesitating, I was like, ‘Oh my God I can’t do this,’ but when I actually stepped on the pedal, it was actually surprisingly easy,” he said.

As for his state of mind at the time, Veltman said he did not plan on pleading insanity, nor did he plan on claiming he was in a psychotic state.

“I want the world to know why I did what I did so I’m just going to tell you,” he said.

Once in police custody, Veltman said he had a sense of relief after the attack.

“I was on my way home from work and I saw some Muslims walking down the street and I was like, ‘Well I guess if I’m wanting to send my message maybe now’s the chance,’ and I hesitated and I hesitated. I went home and I paced around, and I’m like, ‘I’m done putting this off, I’m just going to go do it,’” he said.

The Crown’s case resumes next week.