Car plows into Vancouver street festival, killing at least 9, police say

9 hours ago 8

At slightest 9 radical were killed erstwhile a antheral drove into a assemblage astatine a Filipino practice festival successful the Canadian metropolis of Vancouver, and an chartless fig were injured, constabulary said Sunday.

The conveyance entered the thoroughfare astatine 8:14 p.m. connected Saturday and struck radical attending the Lapu Lapu Day festival, the Vancouver Police Department said successful a societal media post.

Several different radical were injured but the nonstop fig of casualties was not instantly available.

"We are assured that this incidental was not an enactment of terrorism," constabulary say

A 30-year-old Vancouver antheral was arrested astatine the country and the department's Major Crime Section is overseeing the investigation, constabulary said.

"At this time, we are assured that this incidental was not an enactment of terrorism," the constabulary section posted aboriginal Sunday.

Interim Vancouver Police Chief Steve Rai told a quality league that the antheral was arrested aft initially being apprehended by bystanders.

Car drives into assemblage successful Vancouver

Video circulating connected societal media shows a young antheral successful a achromatic hoodie with his backmost against a concatenation nexus fence, alongside a information defender and surrounded by bystanders screaming and swearing astatine him.

"I'm sorry," the antheral says, holding his manus to his head.

Rai declined to remark connected the video but said the idiosyncratic successful custody was a "lone male" who was "known to constabulary successful definite circumstances."

The festival was being held successful a South Vancouver neighborhood. Video posted connected societal media showed victims and debris strewn crossed a agelong long of road, with astatine slightest 7 radical lying immobile connected the ground. A achromatic SUV with a crumpled beforehand conception could beryllium seen successful inactive photos from the scene.

James Cruzat, a Vancouver concern owner, was astatine the lawsuit and heard a car rev its motor and past "a large noise, similar a large bang" that helium initially thought mightiness beryllium a gunshot.

"We saw radical connected the roadworthy crying, others were similar running, shouting, oregon adjacent screaming, asking for help. So we tried to spell determination conscionable to cheque what was truly really happening until we recovered immoderate bodies connected the ground. Others were lifeless, others like, you know, injured," Cruzat said.

"It was unspeakable to spot that benignant of incident, that situation. It was heartbreaking," Cruzat said. "I couldn't adjacent ideate that it's really happening successful existent life, due to the fact that usually we spot that connected TVs oregon movies. But erstwhile you are successful that benignant of situation, it was truly shocking. ... You couldn't bash thing but to commune for them."

Vancouver Mayor Kenneth Sim said successful a societal media station that the metropolis would supply much accusation erstwhile possible.

"I americium shocked and profoundly saddened by the horrific incidental astatine today's Lapu Lapu Day event," Sim said. "Our thoughts are with each those affected and with Vancouver's Filipino assemblage during this incredibly hard time."

Lapu Lapu Day festival

Vancouver had much than 38,600 residents of Filipino practice successful 2021, representing 5.9% of the city's full population, according to Statistics Canada, the bureau that conducts the nationalist census.

Lapu Lapu Day celebrates Datu Lapu-Lapu, an Indigenous chieftain who stood up to Spanish explorers who came to the Philippines successful the 16th century. The organizers of the Vancouver lawsuit said helium "represents the psyche of autochthonal resistance, a almighty unit that helped signifier the Filipino individuality successful the look of colonization."

Prime Minister Mark Carney and different Canadian governmental figures posted messages expressing daze astatine the violence, condolences for victims and enactment for the assemblage celebrating its practice astatine the festival.

"I connection my deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed and injured, to the Filipino Canadian community, and to everyone successful Vancouver. We are each mourning with you," Carney wrote.

"As we hold to larn more, our thoughts are with the victims and their families — and Vancouver's Filipino community, who were coming unneurotic contiguous to observe resilience," wrote Jagmeet Singh, person of the New Democratic Party, who was astatine the festival earlier successful the day.

"My thoughts are with the Filipino assemblage and each the victims targeted by this senseless attack. Thank you to the archetypal responders who are astatine the country arsenic we hold to perceive more," Conservative Party person Pierre Poilievre wrote.

David Eby, the premier of British Columbia, the state wherever Vancouver is located, said helium was shocked and heartbroken. "We are successful interaction with the City of Vancouver and volition supply immoderate enactment needed," Eby wrote.