A suspect has been taken into custody in Vancouver, Canada, after using his SUV to kill a minimum of nine individuals at a local festival. Following the incident, the suspect addressed the crowd with an apologetic ‘I’m sorry’.
The tragic event took place during the Lapu Lapu Day festival, with chaos ensuing as the vehicle plowed through attendees just past 8pm on Saturday. Authorities have apprehended a 30-year-old individual whose identity remains undisclosed at this time.
The aftermath of the incident left a grim scene along a narrow street in South Vancouver, as lifeless bodies and wounded festival attendees lay in the wake of the SUV’s destructive path. The front of the driver’s SUV bore significant damage from the impact.
Video circulating on social media showed a young man in a black hoodie with his back against a chain-link fence, alongside a security guard and surrounded by bystanders screaming and swearing at him, the Associated Press reported.
‘I´m sorry,’ the man said, holding his hand to his head, according to AP.
Interim Vancouver Police Chief Steve Rai declined to comment on the video, but said the person in custody was a ‘lone male’ who was ‘known to police in certain circumstances.’
Cops ruled out that it was an act of terrorism.
The festival had drawn families, children, and neighbors from across Vancouver, many eager to enjoy the warm spring evening, unaware of the horror about to unfold.
Instead, the street became a makeshift triage center as bystanders rushed to provide first aid before paramedics could arrive.
Passerby Carayn Nulada said that she pulled her granddaughter and grandson off the street and used her body to shield them from the SUV. She said that her daughter suffered a narrow escape.
‘The car hit her arm and she fell down, but she got up, looking for us, because she is scared,’ said Nulada, who described children screaming, and pale-faced victims lying on the ground or wedged under vehicles.
‘I saw people running and my daughter was shaking.’
James Cruzat, a Vancouver business owner, was at the event and heard a car rev its engine and then ‘a loud noise, like a loud bang’ that he initially thought might be a gunshot.
‘We saw people on the road crying, others were like running, shouting, or even screaming, asking for help.Â
‘So we tried to go there just to check what was really actually happening until we found some bodies on the ground. Others were lifeless, others like, you know, injured,’ Cruzat said.
Nic Magtajas described an SUV roaring through the crowd at high speed.
‘I saw a bunch of people go over, go high up from the impact of hitting the car,’ said Magtajas, 19.
In response to the incident, King Charles shared a statement: ‘Both my wife and I were profoundly saddened to learn of the dreadful attack and utterly tragic loss of life in Vancouver, which took place as the Filipino community came together to mark the celebration of one of their most special festivals.
‘Our hearts and prayers go out to all those whose lives have been shattered by such a desperate tragedy and we send our deepest possible sympathy at a most agonizing time for so many in Canada.’Â
Vancouver Mayor Kenneth Sim said in a social media post that the city would provide more information when possible.
‘I am shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific incident at today´s Lapu Lapu Day event,’ Sim said. ‘Our thoughts are with all those affected and with Vancouver´s Filipino community during this incredibly difficult time.’
Vancouver had more than 38,600 residents of Filipino heritage in 2021, representing 5.9 percent of the city´s total population, according to Statistics Canada, the agency that conducts the national census.
Lapu Lapu Day celebrates Datu Lapu-Lapu, an Indigenous chieftain who stood up to Spanish explorers who came to the Philippines in the 16th century. The organizers of the Vancouver event said that he ‘represents the soul of native resistance, a powerful force that helped shape the Filipino identity in the face of colonization.’
Prime Minister Mark Carney and other political leaders on the final day of the election campaign posted messages expressing shock at the violence, condolences for victims and support for the community celebrating its heritage.
‘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,’ Carney wrote.
Carney delayed his campaign events.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued a statement expressing sympathy with the victims and their families.
‘The Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver is working with Canadian authorities to ensure that the incident will be thoroughly investigated, and that the victims and their families are supported and consoled,’ he said.
The country’s Department of Foreign Affairs said that ‘we remember the 1 million strong Filipino community in Canada and pray for their continued strength and resilience.’
