Eleven people have been confirmed dead and multiple others wounded after a man drove into a crowd at a Filipino street festival in Vancouver, police said.
Interim Vancouver Police Chief Steve Rai said on Sunday that the suspect had a “significant history” of interaction with police and mental healthcare professionals. Rai declined to discuss any motive.
Police said the incident happened shortly after 8pm on Saturday (03:00 GMT Sunday) in the city’s Sunset on Fraser neighbourhood as it celebrated the Lapu Lapu Festival, adding that the driver, a 30-year-old man, was taken into custody.
“At this time, we are confident that this incident was not an act of terrorism,” police said.
Earlier, Rai told a news conference that the man was arrested after initially being apprehended by bystanders.
Video circulating on social media shows a young man in a black hoodie with his back against a chain link fence, alongside a security guard and surrounded by bystanders screaming and swearing at him.
“I’m sorry,” the man says, holding his hand to his head.
Rai declined to comment on the video but said the person in custody was a “lone male” who was “known to police in certain circumstances”.
An ambulance is parked at the site of the Lapu Lapu event in Vancouver [Jennifer Gauthier/Reuters]
Vancouver had more than 38,600 residents of Filipino heritage in 2021, representing 5.9 percent of the city’s total population, according to Statistics Canada, the agency that conducts the national census.
The Lapu Lapu Festival commemorates Datu Lapu-Lapu, an Indigenous chieftain who stood up to Spanish explorers who came to the Philippines in the 16th century.
Vancouver’s Mayor Ken Sim said, “I am shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific incident at today’s Lapu Lapu Day event.”
“Our thoughts are with all those affected and with Vancouver’s Filipino community during this incredibly difficult time,” Sim wrote.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “devastated to hear about the horrific events” at the Lapu Lapu festival.
“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,” he said, adding that the federal government was closely monitoring developments as the investigation continues.
Canada is set to hold its federal election on Monday.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Sunday that he was “shattered to hear about the terrible incident”.
“The Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver is working with Canadian authorities to ensure that the incident will be thoroughly investigated, and that the victims and their families are supported and consoled,” he added.
Aljazeera
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