(Al Jazeera Media Network) Police in Canada have ruled out “terrorism” as a motive for a deadly car ramming at a street festival in Vancouver.
At least nine people were killed and several injured Saturday night while they attended celebrations for a major Filipino festival.
Investigations are ongoing as a 30-year-old suspect is in custody.
At 8:14 pm on Saturday (03:14 GMT on Sunday), a man drove into a crowd gathered for Lapu-Lapu Day, according to the Vancouver Police Department.
The festival’s main act had just concluded, and crews were taking down the stage, tents and vendor stalls. They also lifted a barricade that had been blocking traffic to allow a vehicle through when a car suddenly sped into the area, the CBC reported.
Witnesses described the vehicle as a black SUV and said they heard a car rev its engine before ploughing into the area. Photos of the vehicle believed to be involved circulated online with a damaged front.
A witness who did not want to be named told the Reuters news agency that the driver had tried to run but was chased down by festival-goers and held against a fence for about 10 minutes until police arrived and arrested him.
Advanced life support ambulances were dispatched to the scene, where bodies were seen lying on the ground.
About 1 am on Sunday (08:00 GMT), police ruled out “an act of terrorism” as a motive for the crash while they continued to investigate the incident.
The incident occurred near the intersection of East 41st Avenue and Fraser Street.
Vancouver is a coastal city in Canada’s westernmost province of British Columbia. It is known for its natural beauty, including mountains, forests and the Pacific Ocean.
Home to 662,248 people, it is considered one of the most diverse cities in Canada. According to the 2021 census, a little more than half of the city’s population identified with one or more racial minority groups, and at least 244 different cultural origins were identified by its residents.
Vancouver has the second-largest Filipino population in Canada after Toronto.
