A devastating scene unfolded at a Vancouver street festival Saturday night when a 30-year-old driver slammed his SUV into a crowd celebrating Lapu Lapu Day, killing multiple people and injuring many more, according to authorities.
The black vehicle carved a trail of destruction through the Lapu Lapu Day festival block party, leaving bloodied and injured victims scattered across the street among broken debris.
Witness videos captured the horrifying aftermath, with bystanders screaming, “Oh my God!” and the suspect’s crushed SUV visibly stopped with its airbags deployed.
One chilling video captured a witness shouting: “There’s a baby over there! There’s a baby under the truck.”
Authorities identified the driver as a Vancouver man, now in custody, though police have yet to release the number of victims.
Vancouver Police said they are “confident” the incident was not an act of terrorism, according to statements posted on social media.
Interim police Chief Steve Rai added that the suspect was known to authorities in “certain circumstances” and said “everything is on the table” regarding the investigation into the driver’s motive.
Footage from the scene showed a street lined with food trucks turned into a site of chaos. Bodies lay motionless on the road alongside twisted metal, as first responders and civilians desperately worked together to aid the wounded. One EMS unit was filmed administering CPR to a victim while dozens of other first responders rushed to assist others.
Some victims appeared grievously wounded, lying unaided and bloodied in the street, the New York Post reports. Images from the aftermath showed a victim covered with a cloth near a food truck, as well as ambulances stationed at the site while emergency crews continued to work through the night.
Vancouver Police examined the suspect’s black SUV at the scene following the mass casualty event, which took place around 8:00PM local time at E. 41st Avenue and Fraser Street, police said on X. Festivalgoers had been celebrating Lapu Lapu Day, a public holiday honoring Filipino heritage.
The Lapu Lapu Day festival in Vancouver, officially established in 2023, commemorates Filipino national hero Datu Lapu-Lapu, who famously resisted Spanish colonization. According to the festival's website, the event aims to symbolize “cultural harmony and mutual respect” in British Columbia.
Canadian politicians responded quickly to the tragedy.
“I am shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific incident at today’s Lapu Lapu Day event. We will work to provide more information as soon as we can,” Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim wrote on X. “Our thoughts are with all those affected and with Vancouver’s Filipino community during this incredibly difficult time.”
Conservative candidate for Prime Minister Pierre Poilievre also shared condolences, stating: “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 City Councillor Pete Fry Becomes Emotional Recalling The Tragedy:
New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh - who attended the event earlier in the day - reflected emotionally on the devastation during a separate appearance. “It keeps on playing through my mind,” Singh said in a video posted on social media. Speaking about the festival, he added, “The kids that were having such an amazing time, such joy, the incredible warmth of the people there.
"I just keep playing through my head such a beautiful celebration and such a family event — people coming together from all ages. No event deserves violence, obviously. It is horrible. Just imagine that joy with the contrast of the horrible death and destruction to happen at an event like that is something I can't comprehend.”
Witnesses at the scene provided additional harrowing accounts. Yoseb Vardeh, co-owner of the Bao Buns food truck, told BBC World Service’s Weekend programme that the final live performance had just ended when a vehicle drove “completely straight, right through the crowd” at approximately 100km/h (62mph).
Vardeh said the driver tried to flee on foot but was stopped by people nearby. “I think he was going for maximum damage,” he said. “I just saw bodies underneath people’s food trucks, and husbands crying out for their wife, or their kids, it was just horrible.”
Emergency services remain at the scene, continuing to assist the victims and investigate the circumstances of the tragedy.
Our thoughts are with every person impacted by this tragedy.