11 people killed, more than 20 hurt after SUV rams into Vancouver street festival
Man arrested after vehicle strikes crowd at Lapu-Lapu event celebrating Filipino culture
UPDATE, April 27 — Vancouver man charged with 8 counts of murder in Lapu-Lapu festival tragedy
Eleven people have been killed and multiple others injured after the driver of a black SUV slammed into a crowd Saturday evening at a street festival in Vancouver celebrating the contributions of the Filipino Canadian community, police say.
It happened shortly after 8 p.m. PT, as the Lapu-Lapu Day Block Party was winding down, after drawing up to 100,000 people through the day.
Steve Rai, interim Vancouver police chief, told reporters on Sunday that it was the darkest day in the city's history.
"The actions of a single person shattered our collective sense of safety," he said. "It is impossible to overstate how many lives have been impacted forever by this lone individual."
Rai says police weren't aware of any threats to the Filipino community, or the event, beforehand.
"The vehicle that struck festival-goers approached the festival area from the west on East 43rd Avenue. It entered a small crowd, an enclosed area, and drove through the crowd," he said.
"There were hundreds of festival-goers still on the street and multiple people were struck by the vehicle."
A 30-year-old Vancouver man is now in custody. Rai provided no name because charges have not been laid.
"The person we have in custody does have a significant history of interactions with police and health-care professionals related to mental health," he told a briefing on Sunday.
In a statement read Sunday morning, Prime Minister Mark Carney said more than 20 people were injured.
Rai said "it's believed dozens of people were injured, some of them seriously," and they were taken to nine area hospitals. He said the number of dead "could rise in the coming days or weeks."
He did not provide details about the victims struck by the Audi model SUV, other than to say they included "young people."
Carney said Canadians are heartbroken at what "police are describing as a car-ramming attack" that happened during "an occasion to gather and to celebrate the vibrancy of the Filipino-Canadian community."
He earlier posted on X that he is "devastated to hear about the horrific events" in Vancouver and offered his condolences to the "loved ones of those killed and injured."
Vancouver Coastal Health said late Saturday it had confirmed a "code orange," indicating a mass casualty event but was not able to confirm the number of injured or dead. Shortly after 3 a.m. local time Sunday, Vancouver police said on social media that there were nine fatalities.
Earlier, videos posted on social media showed emergency crews at the scene, with several people lying on the ground — some appearing injured.
Rai, in a midnight news briefing, said bystanders held the suspect until police could arrive. He said the man was known to police "in certain circumstances."
Rai said the event had been assessed and monitored for security with stakeholders — including those in charge of garbage trucks used in the past to block streets from traffic. The investigation is ongoing and is being led by the Vancouver police major crime section.
"We are confident that this incident was not an act of terrorism," Vancouver police said on X.
Lapu-Lapu Day is named after an Indigenous resistance fighter in the Philippines who fought against Spanish colonization in the 16th century.
Saturday's event was the second annual street celebration of the day in Vancouver, and organizers had said it was an opportunity to mark "the enduring impact on Filipino values, notably the spirit of bayanihan — the collective community effort."
After South Asians and Chinese, the Filipino community is the third-largest cultural group in B.C. Statistics Canada says more than 174,000 people in the community represent 3.5 per cent of the province's total population.
'It was like a war zone'
Kris Pangilinan, a Toronto-based journalist, flew to Vancouver to attend the Lapu-Lapu Day celebrations. He described the event as a beautiful day filled with wonderful performances — but said the aftermath has left him shaken.
"It's something you don't expect to see in your lifetime," he told CBC's Stephen Quinn.
Pangilinan said the show was wrapping up, and the festival's main act — Filipino American rapper Apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas — had already finished his set. Crews were in the process of tearing down the stage, tents and vendor stalls when the incident happened.
He said crews lifted a barricade that had been blocking traffic to allow a vehicle to enter. While some cars were being guided carefully through the crowds, Pangilinan said one car suddenly plowed through the street at high speed.
"Then we realized what was happening and everybody started yelling," he said. "[The driver] just slammed the pedal down and rammed into hundreds of people. It was like seeing a bowling ball hit — all the bowling pins and all the pins flying up in the air."
Pangilinan, who has previously worked in news, said witnessing what happened in person was overwhelming.
"As someone who worked in news, you get numb to seeing these things — but seeing it in real life is just shocking," he said.
"It was like a war zone.... There were bodies all over the ground," he said, adding he saw "countless" people injured.
Another eyewitness, Joshua Polintan, expressed his anger over what happened.
"I am mad at whoever did that because why would you do that?" he said. "I don't know if it was a hate crime ... but it was just wrong."
James Cruzat, a Vancouver business owner, was at the event and heard a car rev its engine and then "a loud noise, like a loud bang."
"We saw people on the road crying, others were like running, shouting, or even screaming, asking for help," Cruzat said.
Organizer says support available
In a statement posted on Instagram, Filipino B.C. said it was devastated by the tragedy and urged those affected to seek help.
"We are still finding the words to express the deep heartbreak brought on by this senseless tragedy. We are devastated for the families and victims," the post read.
The organization encouraged community members to check in with one another and access available mental health resources.
"Victim services are available 24/7 for those who witnessed or experienced trauma by calling or texting 1-800-563-0808 or emailing [email protected]."
Mayor, politicians react
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh made a campaign stop at the festival and left minutes before the incident happened.
Singh said his thoughts are with the victims, their families and Vancouver's Filipino community, "who were coming together today to celebrate resilience."
"This is a festival with kids there. There are families there," he said. "I don't have the words to describe the pain that I'm feeling right now thinking about the lives that were lost."
Singh has cut back on events planned in B.C. for the last day of campaigning for the federal election, going ahead with just one appearance at a media briefing in Penticton.
Carney had been scheduled to spend part of Sunday in British Columbia, but the Liberals have cancelled two large rallies planned in Calgary and Richmond, B.C., in light of the tragedy, a source told CBC News.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said on X, "My thoughts are with the Filipino community and all the victims targeted by this senseless attack."
They both thanked first responders.
B.C. Premier David Eby said in a post to X that he's "heartbroken" to hear about the lives lost and those injured at the festival.
Vancouver South MP Harjit Sajjan, who grew up in the neighbourhood and was a police officer in Vancouver for several years, arrived at the scene to show his support.
"The community means so much to me and I was just wanted to be here for them," said Sajjan, a former minister of defence who is not seeking re-election.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said he was "shocked and deeply saddened" by the "horrific incident."
King Charles also sent condolences in a post on social media.
"Our hearts and prayers go out to all those whose lives have been shattered by such a desperate tragedy and we send our deepest possible sympathy at a most agonizing time for so many in Canada," he said.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he is "shattered to hear about the terrible incident."
Vancouver Sun Run to go as planned
The Vancouver Sun Run, one of the biggest 10-kilometre runs in North America, is scheduled for Sunday. The event is expected to see tens of thousands of participants.
Interim police Chief Rai said the event will take place as planned.
"There's no change .... We will have a full robust deployment and it will occur as planned with security," he said.
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With files from Stephen Quinn, Liam Britten, GP Mendoza and The Canadian Press