VANCOUVER — Vancouver's interim police chief says the death toll in the ramming attack on a Filipino community festival on Saturday has increased to 11.
Steve Rai says dozens more are injured and the death toll could rise further after the attack in which an SUV sped through a South Vancouver street crowded with hundreds of festival patrons.
Rai says the 30-year-old Vancouver man who was arrested after the attack has a "significant history" of interactions with police and mental health workers, and while a motive is not known, he's confident terrorism is not involved.
He says a risk assessment was conducted before the event and police decided no heavy-vehicle barricades would be placed at the event.
Rai says he's confident the assessment was "sound," but a review of the circumstances surrounding the planning would be conducted with the City of Vancouver.
The attack left bodies and debris strewn across a long section of road near Fraser Street and West 43rd Avenue, and Rai says it's the "darkest day" in the city's history.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2025.
Nono Shen, Chuck Chiang, Ashley Joannou and Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press
