Vancouver police investigate a crime scene after a man drove into pedestrians at the annual Lapu Lapu festival celebrating Filipino culture, at East 43rd Avenue and Fraser, in the south of Vancouver . Photo: AFP / DON MACKINNON
Nine people were killed and multiple others were injured in Vancouver after a driver drove into a crowd at a Filipino street festival in the western Canadian city, police said on Saturday.
Police arrested a 30-year-old Vancouver man at the scene.
At a midnight press conference, police said that the suspect was "known" to them but did not elaborate. The man was initially taken into custody by people at the scene.
They later confirmed that nine people had died in the incident.
The incident happened shortly after 8pm local time near East 41st Avenue and Fraser Street, where the Lapu Lapu Day Block Party, celebrating a Philippine national hero, was taking place.
A screenshot from Canadian Broadcasting Company coverage. Photo: Screenshot / CBC
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on X: "I am devastated to hear about the horrific events at the Lapu Lapu festival in Vancouver earlier this evening."
Vancouver's Mayor Ken Sim and British Columbia Premier David Eby posted similar comments on X.
A number of people have been killed and multiple others are injured after a driver drove into a crowd at a street festival at E. 41st Avenue and Fraser shortly after 8 p.m. tonight. The driver is in custody. We will provide more information as the investigation unfolds. pic.twitter.com/Iqh5AK5Au3
— Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) April 27, 2025
One witness told CTV News he saw a black vehicle driving erratically in the area of the festival just before the crowd was struck.
Jagmeet Singh, leader of Canada's New Democratic Party, was among the attendees at the event, but left minutes before the vehicle arrived, CTV news said.
"This is so horrific, I don't even know what to say," CTV quoted Singh as saying. "I was just there, and I just imagine the faces of the kids that I saw smiling and dancing."
Canada's federal election takes place on Monday (Tuesday NZT).
The Vancouver Sun said thousands of people had been in the area.
"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," said Vardeh, as his voice broke. "He went through the whole block, he went straight down the middle."
- Reuters
