At Least 9 Dead After Man Plows Car Into Crowd at Vancouver Street Festival

Canada | War Terrorism & Unrest

9 hours ago

Originally posted by: The Epoch Times

At least nine people have been killed and several others injured after a man drove a car into a crowd during a street festival in Vancouver, local police said on Sunday.

The driver has been taken into custody.

The attack happened at 8:14 p.m. local time on Saturday, at the intersection of Fraser Street and East 41st Avenue where the Filipino community was holding its Lapu Lapu Day Block Party, Vancouver Police said.

“We will provide more information as the investigation unfolds,” the police force added.

Prime Minister Mark Carney, who canceled a campaign event following the incident, said the police described it as a “car ramming attack.”

“An investigation is ongoing to determine how and why this horrific attack occurred. Authorities have confirmed one person is [in] custody and it is believed they acted alone.”

Images from the scene show the police investigating a black SUV which has its hood crumpled and engine underneath exposed.

Videos shared on social media show bodies and debris on the ground along a long stretch of road at the festival, with paramedics and police at the scene.

Police said they arrested the suspect, a 30-year-old Vancouver man, at the scene and that its Major Crime Section is overseeing the investigation.

“At this time, we are confident that this incident was not an act of terrorism,” the police department posted on Sunday.

The man was arrested after bystanders initially apprehended him, Interim Vancouver Police Chief Steve Rai said at a news conference.

Social media videos showed a man wearing a black hoodie with his back against a chain-link fence, flanked by a security guard and bystanders who were screaming and swearing at him.

“I’m sorry,” the man said while holding his hand to his head.

Rai did not comment on the video, but described the person in custody as a “lone male” who was “known to police in certain circumstances.”

Vancouver Police secure the scene where a car drove into a crowd at the Lapu Lapu Festival in Vancouver on April 26, 2025. (The Canadian Press/Rich Lam) — Vancouver Police secure the scene where a car drove into a crowd at the Lapu Lapu Festival in Vancouver on April 26, 2025. The Canadian Press/Rich Lam

One witness told CTV News he saw a black vehicle driving erratically in the area of the festival just before the crowd was struck.

The Vancouver Sun reported that thousands of people were in the area. Fraser Street was filled with food trucks and people at the time of the attack.

“I didn’t get to see the driver, all I heard was an engine rev,” Yoseb Vardeh, co-owner of food truck Bao Buns, said in an interview with Postmedia.

“I got outside my food truck, I looked down the road and there’s just bodies everywhere,” Vardeh said, his voice breaking. ”He went through the whole block, he went straight down the middle.”

Condolences

Authorities do not believe there is any active threat to Canadian citizens, Carney said.

“Last night, families lost a sister, a brother, a mother, father, son, or a daughter. Those families are living every family’s nightmare,” he said. “And to them and to the many others who were injured, to the Filipino Canadian community, and to everyone in Vancouver, I would like to offer my deepest condolences.”

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre also offered his condolences, saying he knows many Canadians are “shocked, heartbroken and saddened by this senseless act of violence.”

Speaking in Mississauga, Ont., on April 27, Poilievre said the loved ones of those who lost their lives in this attack will have a “deep hole in their hearts today, and we will try and fill that with love.”

“All Canadians are united in solidarity with the Filipino community,” the Tory leader said. “All Canadians are united with you in mourning the loss of these treasured lives.”

In a post on social media, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said he was shocked and “deeply saddened” by the incident.

“We will work to provide more information as soon as we can,” he said.

“Our thoughts are with all those affected and with Vancouver’s Filipino community during this incredibly difficult time.”

B.C. Premier David Eby said he was shocked and heartbroken by the attack.

“We are in contact with the City of Vancouver and will provide any support needed,” Eby said. “My thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones.”

Vancouver Police secure the scene where a car drove into a crowd at the Lapu Lapu Festival in Vancouver Saturday April 26, 2025. (The Canadian Press/Rich Lam) — Vancouver Police secure the scene where a car drove into a crowd at the Lapu Lapu Festival in Vancouver Saturday April 26, 2025. The Canadian Press/Rich Lam

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he was “horrified” by the incident.

“As we wait to learn more, our thoughts are with the victims and their families – and Vancouver’s Filipino community, who were coming together today to celebrate resilience,” Singh said.

The Lapu Lapu Day celebrates a Filipino chieftain in the 16th century who fought against the Spanish.

Reuters contributed to this report.