A tragic scene unfolded in Vancouver on Saturday evening as a man drove an SUV through a crowd at a Filipino community festival, killing at least 11 people and injuring dozens more, police said.
Authorities arrested a 30-year-old Vancouver resident at the scene. The man, who has a “significant history” of mental health-related interactions with police, was quickly apprehended by festival-goers before officers arrived. Police emphasized there was no indication the attack was linked to terrorism.
“This is the darkest day in our city’s history,” Vancouver Interim Chief Constable Steve Rai said during a press conference on Sunday.
Rai also warned that the number of fatalities could still rise, as some of the injured remain in critical condition. Over 100 police officers are now involved in the investigation, and local officials are collaborating with provincial and federal agencies to offer support to victims and their families.
RJ Aquino, chair of community advocacy group Filipino BC, spoke through grief: “The community will feel this for a long time. We want to tell everybody that we’re grieving. We want to tell everybody that we see and hear the support from around the world at this point.”
The attack occurred just two days before Canada’s federal election. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s campaign schedule was briefly disrupted on Sunday as he traveled to Vancouver to address the tragedy.
“Last night, families lost a sister, a brother, a mother, a father, a son or a daughter. Those families are living every family’s nightmare,” Carney said at a news conference in Hamilton, Ontario.
“I join all Canadians in mourning with you. I know that Canadians are united with you,” he added.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also visited the scene and voiced his emotions.
“I want to turn the rage that I feel into ensuring that we stand with the Filipino community, that we deliver what they need, that we stand with those families who have lost loved ones,” he said. “I know it’s hard to believe it in this moment, but I know we will come back stronger.”
According to police, there had been no prior threats against the event or the Filipino community. The festival had no heavy vehicle barriers and lacked a dedicated police presence.
“There were no known threats to the event or to the Filipino community,” Rai said.
Eyewitness accounts describe the horror. One witness said the black SUV sped erratically toward the festival crowd. A photo shared online showed a dark Audi SUV, severely damaged at the front.
Witnesses said festival-goers acted quickly, chasing the driver down and pinning him against a fence until officers arrived. The injured were rushed to multiple hospitals.
The incident took place around 8 p.m. local time in Vancouver’s Sunset neighborhood, where the Lapu-Lapu Day Block Party was being held. The festival, honoring Filipino hero Datu Lapu-Lapu, featured live performances, Filipino food, and cultural displays.
“I didn’t get to see the driver, all I heard was an engine rev,” said Yoseb Vardeh, co-owner of food truck Bao Buns, describing the terrifying moment. “I got outside my food truck, I looked down the road and there’s just bodies everywhere,” he said, his voice breaking with emotion. “He went through the whole block, he went straight down the middle.”
British Columbia legislator Mable Elmore, who was attending the event, recounted how the joyful atmosphere turned tragic in seconds.
“Everybody was happy and getting ready to go. And that’s when, that’s when the incident happened,” Elmore said tearfully.
“We are in incredible pain,” she added. “We will come together out of this catastrophe through the support and the love from the broad community.”
The Lapu-Lapu Day festival was officially recognized by British Columbia in 2023, celebrating the contributions of the Filipino-Canadian community, one of the province’s largest immigrant groups.
Though mass casualty incidents are rarer in Canada than in the United States, there have been other vehicle-related attacks, including the 2021 incident where four members of a Muslim family were killed in London, Ontario, and the 2018 Toronto van attack that killed 10 and injured 15.
Online images from Saturday’s tragedy showed bodies lying across the pavement near colorful food trucks, debris scattered across the road, and distraught witnesses helping the injured.
Police are continuing their investigation into the motive behind the attack.
