Lapu Lapu festival: Nine people dead after man drives into crowd at Vancouver street party
Just after 8pm in Vancouver, a driver ploughed a car into a crowd at the Lapu Lapu street festival. At least nine people were killed.
Shortly after the incident, police arrested a 30-year-old Vancouver man at the scene. He was “taken into custody by people in the crowd”, according to The Guardian.
Officers at the scene said the suspect “was known to police in certain circumstances”. It is not known whether they were referring to his criminal record or something else.
Police are confident it is not terror-related, though they have yet to release an official motive.
Members of the Filipino community were gathering to celebrate Lapu Lapu Day, an annual festival commemorating a 16th-century Filipino anti-colonial leader. Datu Lapu-Lapu was an Indigenous Filipino leader who defeated Spanish forces in 1521 and became a national hero.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has commented that he is “devastated” by such a deadly incident, occurring only two days before Canada’s general election.
“Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic incident,” Vancouver police said. They have not revealed how many people have been injured in the incident.
Police will hold a news conference at 10:00 local time, 18:00 BST. In the meantime, they have opened a 24-hour help centre for reconnecting families and friends.
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