An SUV driven into a Filipino heritage festival in Vancouver killed at least 11 people on Saturday night, setting off panic in the streets before the crowd seized and held a suspect for police. Canadian authorities, who reported that dozens more were injured, said they do not suspect it was an act of terrorism, the BBC reports. The deaths prompted mourning in the Philippines as well as Canada. One witness expressed anger afterward, per CBC. "I am mad at whoever did that because why would you do that?" Joshua Polintan said. "I don't know if it was a hate crime ... but it was just wrong."
As many as 100,000 people had gathered in Vancouver streets for a block party celebrating Datu Lapu-Lapu, an Indigenous chieftain who stood up to Spanish explorers in the Philippines in the 16th century. The event was nearing its end just after 8pm when crews raised a barricade that had been blocking traffic to allow a vehicle to pass. As some cars were being guided slowly the crowds, witnesses said a vehicle revved its engine and then suddenly plowed through the gathering of hundreds of people at high speed. One bystander said he'll never forget the sound of the vehicle hitting bodies.
Witness accounts include:
- The driver "just slammed the pedal down and rammed into hundreds of people," said Kris Pangilinan. "It was like seeing a bowling ball hit—all the bowling pins and all the pins flying up in the air."
- "We saw people on the road crying, others were like running, shouting, or even screaming, asking for help," James Cruzat said. "So we tried to go there just to check what was really actually happening until we found some bodies on the ground. Others were lifeless, others like, you know, injured."
- Carayn Nulada pulled her granddaughter and grandson off the street and shielded them with her body from the SUV, per the AP. "The car hit her arm and she fell down, but she got up, looking for us, because she is scared," said Nulada. She described children screaming and pale victims lying on the ground or wedged under vehicles.
Acting Police Chief Steve Rai described the person held as a "lone male" in his thirties. Members of the crowd detained him while others called police. "We then took custody of the subject," Rai said. The man "does have a significant history of interactions with police and health care professionals related to mental health," he said. "It is the darkest day in Vancouver's history," he added.
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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the nation on Sunday morning, expressing shock and saying he's heartbroken, per the BBC. "Currently, we do not believe that there is any active threat to Canadians," he said. Sunday was the final day of campaigning before Canada's election, and the candidates altered their stops. Carney was headed to Vancouver later in the day, and his Liberal Party canceled rallies planned for Calgary and Richmond, BC, per CBC. Campaigning in Ontario, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre made a stop at a church outside Toronto to meet with members of the Filipino community, per the BBC. "I wanted to be here with you in solidarity," he told them.
This story has been updated with new information. (More Vancouver stories.)
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