Cliff Notes
- A 30-year-old man was arrested after a vehicle struck a crowd at the Lapu Lapu Day Block Party in Vancouver, resulting in multiple fatalities and injuries.
- Police confirmed that the suspect, known to them, was taken into custody by bystanders before their arrival and assured there was no ongoing threat to public safety.
- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and other officials expressed shock and condolences to the families affected, as the incident occurred just before an upcoming election.
Several killed after vehicle drives into crowd at street festival, police in Vancouver say | World News
A 30-year-old man has been arrested after several people were killed and multiple others injured when a vehicle drove into a crowd at a street festival in Vancouver, police have said.
Vancouver Police said a man drove into a large group of people at the Lapu Lapu Day Block Party – named after a national hero of the Philippines – near 43rd Avenue and Fraser Street at around 8.14pm local time on Saturday.
The force said a suspect, who is from Vancouver and “known” to them, was arrested at the scene, and they were confident “this incident was not an act of terrorism”.
Speaking at a midnight press conference nearby, interim chief constable Stave Rai told reporters the “lone suspect” was “taken into custody at the scene by the crowd” before police arrived.
He said there was “no further danger” to the public and there would be no change to security arrangements for Sunday’s Sun Run, which will see thousands of people take to Vancouver’s streets for a 10km race.
It was the second year the Lapu Lapu festival has been held, with J Rey Soul of the Black Eyed Peas listed among the performers.
Police said there were up to “a few thousand” people in attendance, although the crowd size was fluid.
Video posted on social media showed victims and debris strewn across a long stretch of road, with at least seven people lying immobile on the ground.
A black SUV with a crumpled front section could be seen in photos from the scene.
One witness told Canadian broadcaster CTV News he saw a black vehicle driving erratically in an area of the festival just before the crowd was struck.
Another, Yoseb Vardeh, the co-owner of food truck Bao Buns, said in an interview with Postmedia he didn’t see the driver but heard “an engine rev”.
“I got outside my food truck, I looked down the road and there’s just bodies everywhere,” he said.
“He went through the whole block, he went straight down the middle.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement on X: “I am devastated to hear about the horrific events at the Lapu Lapu festival in Vancouver earlier this evening.
“I offer my deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed and injured, to the Filipino Canadian community, and to everyone in Vancouver.
“We are all mourning with you. We are monitoring the situation closely, and thankful to our first responders for their swift action.”
Jagmeet Singh, the leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party, was among those at the event, but left minutes before the vehicle arrived, according to CTV.
“This is so horrific, I don’t even know what to say,” he told the broadcaster. “I was just there, and I just imagine the faces of the kids that I saw smiling and dancing.”
Vancouver’s mayor Ken Sim said in a post on X: “I am shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific incident at today’s Lapu Lapu Day event.”
He added: “Our thoughts are with all those affected and with Vancouver’s Filipino community during this incredibly difficult time.”
British Columbia Premier David Eby also posted to say he was “shocked and heartbroken”, while Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservative Party and opposition, said he was “shocked by the horrific news” and his thoughts are with “the Filipino community and all the victims targeted by this senseless attack”.
The incident comes as Canadians prepare to head to the polls to choose a new prime minister on Monday.