11 Victims of Car Attack at Vancouver Street Festival Range in Age From 5 to 65

‘I said it’s the darkest day in Vancouver’s history and I stand by that,’ interim Vancouver Police Chief Steve Rai said.

Vancouver Police secure the scene where a car drove into a crowd at the Lapu Lapu Festival in Vancouver on April 26, 2025. The Canadian Press/Rich Lam

Victims of the car attack during a street festival in Vancouver on April 26 range in age from 5 to 65, police say.

Police have charged Vancouver resident Adam Kai-Ji Lo, 30, with eight counts of second-degree murder. Police say the suspect is in custody and that “further charges are anticipated.” The suspect has had “extensive history” of interaction with law enforcement, police said, citing mental health issues.

The attack happened at 8:14 p.m. local time on April 26 at the intersection of Fraser Street and East 41st Avenue, where the Filipino community was holding its Lapu Lapu Day Block Party, Vancouver Police stated.

Police investigate the crime scene where a car drove into a crowd of people during the Lapu Lapu Festival in Vancouver, Canada, on April 27, 2025. Andrew Chin/Getty Images

Prime Minister Mark Carney said the attack has left Canada “shocked, devastated, and heartbroken.”

“An investigation is ongoing to determine how and why this horrific attack occurred. Authorities have confirmed one person is [in] custody and it is believed they acted alone,” Carney said on April 27.

“Our government — and all of Canada — is united behind the Filipino Canadian community and the people of Vancouver in this incredibly painful time,” Carney added.

Police said Lo was arrested at the scene and that the Major Crime Section is overseeing the investigation.

Lo was arrested after bystanders initially apprehended him, interim Vancouver Police Chief Steve Rai said at a press conference on April 27.

Vancouver Police look over a black vehicle believed to be involved in an incident where a vehicle drove into a crowd at the Lapu Lapu Festival in Vancouver on April 26, 2025. The Canadian Press/Rich Lam

Social media videos show a man wearing a black hoodie with his back against a chain-link fence, flanked by a security guard and bystanders who were screaming and swearing at him.

“I’m sorry,” the man said while holding his hand to his head.

Rai did not comment on the video footage but described the suspect as a “lone male” who was “known to police in certain circumstances.”

Rai said that those injured in the attack were taken to nine different hospitals and that the number of dead “could rise in the coming days or weeks.” He said victims are both male and female and that “young people” are included among the dead. Police later said the victims range in age from five to 65.

B.C. Premier David Eby and MLA Mable Elmore deliver remarks regarding a vehicle ramming into the crowd at a street festival in Vancouver on April 27, 2025. The Canadian Press/Rich Lam

“I said it’s the darkest day in Vancouver’s history and I stand by that,” Rai said.

Police said there was no evidence of terrorism.

“At this time, we are confident that this incident was not an act of terrorism,” the police department posted on April 27.

Images from the scene showed the police investigating a black SUV that has its hood crumpled and engine underneath exposed.

Video footage shared on social media on the day of the attack showed bodies and debris on the ground along a long stretch of road at the festival, with paramedics and police at the scene.

Vancouver Police secure the scene where a car drove into a crowd at the Lapu Lapu Festival in Vancouver, Canada, on April 26, 2025. The Canadian Press/Rich Lam

At a news conference with city officials on April 27, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said he was “completely heartbroken” by the incident, and that he has ordered a review of the safety measures that were in place at the festival.

“The individual in question has a significant history of mental health issues,” Sim said.

“I want to be clear, if anything is to come of this tragedy, it has to be change. I personally will not stop in calling on governments to make these changes now.”

Rai said as a result of a joint risk assessment conducted by the City of Vancouver and police before the event, it was concluded that “dedicated police officers and heavy vehicle barricades would not be deployed at the festival site.”

British Columbia Premier David Eby said he was shocked and heartbroken by the attack.

Speaking at the scene of the attack on April 27, Eby said the province stands with the Filipino community and the family of the victims.

“It’s hard for me, and I know for many people in this moment, … not to feel rage. The man who did this murdered innocent people and destroyed a community celebration,” he said.

“I want to turn the rage that I feel into ensuring that we stand with the Filipino community, that we deliver what they need, that we stand with those families who have lost loved ones, those who have been injured—that we are not defined by this.”

Condolences

B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad said the attack was a “heartbreaking, needless tragedy.”

“On behalf of the Conservative Party of BC, I offer my most heartfelt condolences to those affected and to the families of the injured and deceased,” Rustad said.

A woman sits and prays near the site where a vehicle drove into crowd at a street festival in Vancouver on April 27, 2025. The Canadian Press/Rich Lam

B.C. Conservative MLA Elenore Sturko, her party’s public safety critic, noted that the suspect has had prior interactions with police and has a history of mental health issues.

“As Shadow Minister for Public Safety, I will be monitoring the situation closely to identify potential gaps outside the Mental Health Act so that I can bring forward recommendations to government to help prevent senseless tragedies,” she said.

Conservative Party of Canada Leader Pierre Poilievre also offered his condolences, saying he knows many Canadians are “shocked, heartbroken, and saddened by this senseless act of violence.”

Speaking in Mississauga, Ontario, on April 27, Poilievre said the loved ones of those who lost their lives in this attack will have a “deep hole in their hearts today, and we will try and fill that with love.”

“All Canadians are united in solidarity with the Filipino community,” the Tory leader said. “All Canadians are united with you in mourning the loss of these treasured lives.”

A man brings flowers to the scene where a car drove into a crowd during the April 26 Lapu Lapu Festival in Vancouver, on April 27, 2025. Andrew Chin/Getty Images

New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh, who attended the event but left minutes before the vehicle rammed into the crowd, expressed sorrow and solidarity with the Filipino community as he spoke to reporters on the night of April 26.

“I don’t have the words to describe the sorrow that I’m feeling right now, but I want the Filipino community to know we’re standing with you. You do not grieve alone,” he said in Burnaby, British Columbia.

Several world leaders or officials also extended condolences, including French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Foreign Minister David Lammy, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, and Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský.

The Canadian Press and Reuters contributed to this report.