Nancy Macdonald, Vancouver
Vancouver Police say multiple people (possibly 16) are dead after a person drove a car through a Filipino street festival on the city’s east side Saturday night. Shaken witnesses described a vehicle gunning its engine before plowing through a street lined with food trucks, striking people as it barreled forward without stopping. When it finally halted, a man tried to escape, witnesses said.
Some people ran screaming toward the victims in an effort to help, witnesses said. Others were overcome with shock.
A video of the aftermath posted on social media shows a black SUV that came to a rest in the middle of the street between the two rows of food trucks, its front bumper destroyed and the hood crumpled in half. Witnesses confirmed the authenticity of the video to The Globe.
Hours after the horror, white tarps covering what appeared to be bodies were still on the roadway.
Police say they have arrested a suspect, a 30-year-old Vancouver man (pictured on the left).
Two teenagers who were working at a store along the street said they saw the vehicle charge down the street.
“We just see him go full speed through a bunch of people. I saw a bunch of people go high up from the impact of hitting the car,” said Nic Magtajs, 19.
He said people were screaming, with some running to help and others frozen in shock.
“Pure mayhem as soon as it happened. It was so loud. … A lot of loud bangs, not to mention the engine.”
Jihad Issa, 17, was working in the store with Mr. Magtajs. He said the vehicle sped down to the end of the street.
“There was a lot of people panicking, bodies,” said Mr. Issa, whose family is from Syria.
“I saw the car at the end of the street. It was stopped and there was smoke coming out of it.
“We couldn’t do anything.”
Mr. Issa’s mother, in tears, was with her son. She declined to give her name, but a police officer could be heard telling her that she should get her son for counselling as soon as tomorrow.
Carmela Sicat, 54, was working at a baked goods stand at the festival with her daughter when they heard the sound of an engine revving.
“It was like a big boom, like a bunch of fireworks,” when it started hitting people, she said.
She and her daughter went running toward the sound.
“There were a bunch of people lying down in the streets,” said Carla Sicat.
Aditi Narang was working at Vegan Fried Chicken and helped several victims, giving them water. She said one woman was crying, saying her friend had died after being pulled under the car.
Lovepreet Singh said he saw a group of security guards in neon vests confronting the man he believed is the accused driver.
He said they were demanding to know: “Are you drunk? Are you high? Why did you do this,” Singh recounted.
“He just stood there, saying nothing.”
Other witnesses said the man in the SUV attempted to escape before he was apprehended by police.
Liberal leader Mark Carney issued this statement on X:
I am devastated to hear about the horrific events at the Lapu Lapu festival in Vancouver earlier this evening.
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.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was campaigning at the festival earlier in the day, but had left by the time of the attack.
“Having been at the Lapu Lapu Festival, this is a festival with kids there and families there,” said a sombre Mr. Singh.
“I don’t have the words to describe the pain that I’m feeling now at the lives that were lost. … We don’t know the motives, we don’t know any of the details. But ultimately, this is something that targeted the Filipino community and the Filipino community right now is reeling.”
Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative Leader issued this statement:
I am shocked by the horrific news emerging from Vancouver's Lapu Lapu Day Festival tonight.
My thoughts are with the Filipino community and all the victims targeted by this senseless attack. Thank you to the first responders who are at the scene as we wait to hear more.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said in a statement that he was “shocked and deeply saddened” by what he called a “horrific incident” at the festival.
“Our thoughts are with all those affected and with Vancouver’s Filipino community during this incredibly difficult time,” he said.
B.C. Premier David Eby said in a post to social media platform X that he’s “shocked and heartbroken” to hear about the lives lost and those injured at the festival.
Lapu Lapu Day is named after an Indigenous resistance fighter in the Philippines who fought against Spanish colonization in the 16th Century.
Friday’s event was the second annual street celebration of the day in Vancouver, and organizers had said it was an opportunity to mark “the enduring impact on Filipino values, notably the spirit of bayanihan — the collective community effort.”
With reports from Andrea Woo, Mike Hager, Moira Wyton and The Canadian Press.
https://x.com/i/status/1916362333879996690
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