Vancouver attack: Suspect in custody after SUV rammed through Filipino festival in Vancouver, killing 11 and injuring dozens

The driver, a 30-year-old Vancouver man, has been arrested, Vancouver police said.

Dozens others were injured when the suspect “drove into a large crowd” at the street festival at East 41st Avenue and Fraser Street just after 8 p.m. local time Saturday, according to officers. 

Police have not yet clarified how many were injured in the attack but in a press conference around 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Vancouver police interim chief Steve Rai said the number of dead could rise.

Speaking from Hamilton, Ont., on Sunday, Liberal Leader Mark Carney offered his condolences to the Filipino-Canadian community. Carney said police have described the incident as a “car ramming attack” that killed nine people and injured more than 20 others, and that the suspect who allegedly drove the car is believed to have acted alone.

Federal police sources, speaking to the Star on a background only basis, say the suspect is believed to have mental health issues, and at this early stage they are not aware of a political connection or motivation behind the attack. 

Witness Nic Magtajas described an SUV going at high speed and striking pedestrians.

“I saw a bunch people go over, go high up from the impact of hitting the car and such,” he said.

The Lapu Lapu Day festival was underway in the South Vancouver neighbourhood, with flags and food carts lining the streets for what was billed by organizers as a party to honour “the rich tapestry of cultures that make up the beautiful mosaic of British Columbia and the Philippines alike.”

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.

Magtajas and Jihed Issa were working at a store facing the festival and said they initially had their backs to the scene when they heard a car engine revving and turned around and looked.

“And then we just see him go full speed through a bunch of people,” said Magtajas, 19. 

Magtajas described the sound of the impacts and said each contact with the vehicle was “so loud.” 

“Just a lot of loud bangs, not to mention the engine revving as well,” he said.

Issa, 17, said he saw the black SUV going through the entire crowd on the street.

“People were screaming,” he said. “It (the vehicle) went all the way to the end of the street,” he said.

“After it happened, I ran outside to the street and I was trying to figure out what happened. I made it to halfway into the street, looked around (and) there was a lot of people panicking, people on the floor — bodies, if you will.”

Issa said he saw the SUV come to a stop at the end of the street, with smoke coming from it.

The driver was apprehended by a crowd of people before he was taken into police custody, according to Steve Rai, the acting Vancouver Police chief, who added that the suspect was “known to police in certain circumstances.”

Rai could not speak to the motive of the driver.

“It would be unfair of me to talk about those details at this point,” Rai said while speaking to reporters just after midnight local time.

Police have set up a 24-hour assistance centre for the victims and have their “entire investigative component” working on the case with help from other officers, Rai said.

The acting chief told reporters that he was not briefed on the level of security at the festival, saying that “different events have different formulas.”

“I am shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific incident at today’s Lapu Lapu Day event. We will work to provide more information as soon as we can,” Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said in a post to social media.

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

B.C. Premier David Eby said that he is in contact with the city and “will provide any support needed.”

“My thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones.”

The Liberals delayed the start of its leaders’ tour, as Mark Carney was scheduled to attend an event in Hamilton before blitzing across Canada with stops in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia. That included an event in Metro Vancouver.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was scheduled to campaign in the GTA and Ottawa, while NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh — who attended Sunday’s festival in Vancouver where the incident took place — was scheduled to campaign in B.C.

Carney said he was “devastated to hear about the horrific events.” 

“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.”

Singh was “horrified” to learn of the incident “that injured and killed innocent people.”

“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 in a post to X.

Singh had made a campaign stop at the festival earlier in the day, before the attack. 

Poilievre also posted a statement condemning the incident. 

“My thoughts are with the Filipino community and all the victims targeted by this senseless attack.”

“On behalf of the people of Ontario, I want to express my heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives and to everyone impacted by the tragic events at Vancouver’s Lapu-Lapu Day festival,” Premier Doug Ford said in a post on X. “This horrific act of violence has left us all in shock.

“Our thoughts are with the Filipino community in Vancouver and across Canada during this incredibly difficult time.”

Lapu Lapu Day is one of the biggest celebrations in the Philippines and was officially recognized by British Columbia two years ago. 

The day is named after an Indigenous resistance fighter in the Philippines who fought against Spanish colonization in the 16th century.

Organizers had said it was an opportunity to mark “the enduring impact on Filipino values, notably the spirit of bayanihan — the collective community effort.”

Terrorism is generally defined in Canadian law as acts committed for a “political, religious or ideological purpose, objective or cause” with the intention of intimidating the public or government.

The man responsible for the April 23, 2018 Toronto van attack was convicted in 2021 of 10 counts of first-degree murder, and 16 counts of attempted murder, and sentenced to life in prison.

An Ontario Superior Court judge rejected lawyers’ arguments that the attacker, who told police he was inspired by the ‘incel’ movement, should not be held criminally responsible because of his autism spectrum disorder, calling the deadly assault “the act of a reasoning mind.”

First-degree murder charges apply in the most serious homicides including police killings and murders that are premeditated or planned, and carries no chance of parole for 25 years.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has again proposed changing Canadian criminal law to ensure that mass murderers are sentenced to consecutive life jail terms — a measure enacted by a previous Conservative government but which was overturned by the Supreme Court of Canada. Poilievre proposes to use a constitutional power to override the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the so-called “notwithstanding” clause, to enact the law once more.

“As we await more information about the incident, we pray that our community remains strong and resilient imbued with the spirit of bayanihan during this difficult time.”

Filipino BC, a local cultural society and a partner of the Lapu Lapu Day street festival, said they are focused on supporting the community while they are also “experiencing this trauma.”

The group was encouraging people to “check in, support and hold each other,” and access any available resources.

“We also want to make it clear that we discourage the viewing and sharing of the videos that are currently circulating of the tragedy,” they added.

This is a developing story.

With files from Ana Pereira