Nine people were killed and multiple others injured after the driver of an SUV rammed into a crowd Saturday evening at a street festival in Vancouver celebrating the Filipino-Canadian community, according to the CBC. Interim Vancouver Police Chief Steve Rai told the network that a 30-year-old Vancouver man is now in custody.
The incident took place at around 8 p.m. local time when the Lapu Lapu Day Block Party, which drew up to 100,000 people through the day, was winding down. Filipino-American rapper Apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas had completed his headlining DJ set at the festival and the stage, tents and vendor stalls were being taken down when the incident took place.
In a statement Sunday morning, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said more than 20 people were injured in what “police are describing as a car-ramming attack” that happened during “an occasion to gather and to celebrate the vibrancy of the Filipino-Canadian community.”
Police Chief Rai said at a press conference early Sunday that bystanders held the suspect until officers arrived. He said the man was known to police “in certain circumstances,” according to the CBC
“We are confident that this incident was not an act of terrorism,” Vancouver police said on X.
Kris Pangilinan, a Toronto-based journalist, told the CBC that crews lifted a barricade that had been blocking traffic to allow a vehicle to enter. While some cars were being guided carefully through the crowds, Pangilinan said one car suddenly plowed through the street at high speed.
“Then we realized what was happening and everybody started yelling,” he told the CBC. “[The driver] just slammed the pedal down and rammed into hundreds of people. It was like seeing a bowling ball hit — all the bowling pins and all the pins flying up in the air.”
“It was like a war zone…. There were bodies all over the ground,” he said, adding he saw “countless” people injured.
Apl de Ap (real name: Allan Pineda Lindo) had not commented on the tragedy at the time of this article’s publication, but Kaya Ko, who kicked off the main-stage performances during the afternoon, posted on her Instagram story.
“This was not an accident. This was a massacre,” the vocalist added. “I am at a loss for words. Praying that everyone is taken care of and praying for the souls, lives taken and families affected by this terrible crime.”
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