OAN Staff Abril Elfi
9:13 AM – Sunday, April 27, 2025
A man has driven into a crowd at a Filipino festival in Vancouver, Canada, leaving at least nine people dead.
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On Saturday night, at least nine people were killed after a driver ran into a crowd at the Lapu Lapu Day block party.
The Vancouver Police Department has currently not revealed the exact number of injuries from the incident.
According to authorities, the suspect is a 30-year-old man who was arrested at the scene. However, no further details of the suspect besides his age and gender have been publicly released.
“At this time, we are confident that this incident was not an act of terrorism,” police said in a post early Sunday.
Videos circulating on social media have shown victims and debris across the long road with several people lying on the ground unable to move.
According to the Associated Press, Vancouver business owner James Cruzat told the outlet that he was at the festival when he suddenly heard a car rev its engine.
He continued stating that he then heard “a loud noise, like a loud bang” that he initially thought might be a gunshot and described seeing people on the road crying, running and screaming for help.
“So we tried to go there just to check what was really actually happening until we found some bodies on the ground,” Cruzat said. “Others were lifeless, others like, you know, injured.”
He said the aftermath he witnessed was unimaginable and “heartbreaking.”
“I couldn’t even imagine that it’s actually happening in real life, because normally we see that on TVs or movies,” he said. “But when you are in that kind of situation, it was really shocking. … You couldn’t do anything but to pray for them.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney released a statement following the tragedy, saying he was “devastated” to hear about the incident and offering his condolences to everyone affected.
Carney said his national security and intelligence adviser, as well as the public safety minister, informed him on the situation overnight.
He stated that based on current facts, there is no “active threat to Canadians”. The prime minister went on to say that his ministers are “closely engaged” with local police enforcement, as well as provincial and municipal leaders.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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