2025 Vancouver car attack

On April 26, 2025, a vehicle-ramming attack took place at the Lapu-Lapu Day festival, a public celebration of Filipino heritage in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The attack left eleven people dead and at least two dozen more injured, making it the deadliest attack in Vancouver's history. Alongside the 2018 Toronto van attack, it stands as the deadliest vehicle-ramming incident in Canadian history. According to the Vancouver Police Department, the car attack was not an act of terrorism.

Lapu-Lapu Day is a Filipino celebration named for Lapu-Lapu, a Mactan chief who fought against Spanish colonization, and commemorates the victory of the chieftain and his allies against Ferdinand Magellan and his forces at the Battle of Mactan in 1521. British Columbia officially recognized the event in 2023, and an annual festival for Filipino Canadians—who hold a strong presence in Vancouver—has been held in the city since the day was recognized in the province.

According to two Vancouver City Council members, the venue was not cordoned off by city dump trucks as had been so at previous city festivals. According to VPD interim chief Steve Rai, police had conducted a security assessment of the festival with the City of Vancouver and festival organizers and determined there were no threats to the event or Filipino community, noting the previous year's festival had "zero issues." The Vancouver Sun Run scheduled for the next morning went ahead with increased police presence after the Vancouver Police Department determined there was no ongoing threat to public safety.

The attack occurred two days before the 2025 Canadian federal election. New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh had attended the festival and left only minutes before the attack.

The car, a black Audi Q7 SUV, was speeding recklessly in the neighbourhood before turning onto the site of the attack. A minute or two before the attack, the car had made a U-turn and was pulled over to the roadside as if to park.

At approximately 8:14 p.m. PDT (UTC−7), the car was driven at a high speed through a section of East 43rd Avenue west of Fraser Street. The street had been converted into a food truck zone to serve the Lapu-Lapu Day Block Party, which was held at the adjacent John Oliver Secondary School. Witnesses described bodies sent flying on impact with the car, and videos showed wreckage and victims scattered across a long stretch of road after the attack.

Eleven people, ranging in age from 5 to 65, were killed and more than 24 others were injured, some critically. Nine of the killed were female and two were male. They lived in various areas of Metro Vancouver. As of April 27, some of the victims had not been identified. Vancouver General Hospital received several victims and announced a code orange, indicating a mass casualty incident. On the following day, the Ministry of Health confirmed that 32 people (including the 11 dead) had been hospitalized, and that 17 people remained in hospital at that time. As of April 30, ten people still remain hospitalized, consisting of seven critically injured victims and three others seriously. One of the hospitalized victims is a 22-month-old boy while the rest were adults.

The dead included 34-year-old Brazilian musician Clara "Kira" Ganapol Salim, who was a New Westminster school counsellor and one of the founders of the Carnival group Marcha Nerd, a couple and their 5-year-old daughter, and a couple and their adult daughter from Colombia. A mother who served on a parents council at a nearby elementary school was also killed. A mother visiting from the Philippines was killed together with her son who immigrated to Canada.

The attack occurred in the final days of the Canadian federal election campaign. Following the attack, Mark Carney cancelled election events by the Liberal Party in Calgary and Richmond and went to the site of the attack on April 27 before meeting with relatives of the victims and participating in a church vigil. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre made an unscheduled visit at a church in Mississauga to meet members of the Filipino community. New Democrat leader Jagmeet Singh cancelled his scheduled appearances on April 27.

The roads surrounding where the attack took place, namely Fraser Street and East 43rd Avenue, remained closed in the days after. A large roadside memorial was set up at the corner of Fraser Street and East 41st by John Oliver Secondary School. The government of British Columbia designated May 2, 2025 as an official day of remembrance and mourning for the victims.

The driver, Kai-Ji Adam Lo, a 30-year-old man from Vancouver, was apprehended by bystanders after attempting to flee, and taken into custody by police. He is believed to have acted alone and was the only occupant of the car. The Vancouver Police confirmed that the accused has a significant history of interactions with police and healthcare professionals "related to mental health", but he had no prior criminal record. The police rejected terrorism as a motive in the incident.

On January 28, 2024, Lo's 31-year-old older brother, Alexander, had been found dead in their Kensington-Cedar Cottage area home in East Vancouver. A suspect was charged with second-degree murder in connection to the killing, pleading not guilty in October 2024, with trial pending as of April 2025^[update].

Lo's mother attempted suicide a few months after Alexander's death, and remained in a hospital for a month.

Police had an interaction with Lo on April 25. The only detail about the interaction released by police as of April 27 was that they decided that a hospital visit was not required. Hours before the attack, a family member had contacted a psychiatric ward about Lo's deteriorating mental health. He appeared to suffer from delusions and paranoia. It is currently unknown whether any action was taken. Vancouver Coastal Health confirmed that at the time of the attack, Lo was under the care of a mental health team and was on extended leave from hospital in accordance with the Mental Health Act. They also said there was no indication Lo was a public safety risk.

Lo was charged with eight counts of second-degree murder under section 235 of the Criminal Code and made a court appearance for a bail hearing on April 27. Lo will remain in police custody after not requesting bail during the appearance. Lo's next court appearance in the Provincial Court of British Columbia is scheduled for May 26. Vancouver Police indicated that further charges would likely be laid in the coming days as the investigation continues to identify victims.

Numerous local and national political figures offered their condolences, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, federal Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, federal New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh (who had attended the festival earlier in the day), Governor General Mary Simon, British Columbia premier David Eby, Vancouver mayor Ken Sim, federal Green Party co-leader Elizabeth May, and King Charles III. Vancouver Police Department interim chief Steve Rai described the attack as "the darkest day in our city's history".

The Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver expressed sympathy. In the Philippines, President Bongbong Marcos, Vice President Sara Duterte, and several senators expressed sadness and outrage over the attack as well as sympathy for the victims. Apl.de.ap and J. Rey Soul, Filipino-Americans and Black Eyed Peas members who had just finished performing at the festival prior to the attack, posted a statement on Instagram. Professional tennis player Leylah Fernandez offered condolences to the victims saying she was "absolutely devastated to hear about the death of my fellow Canadian-Filipinos". Vancouver Whitecaps FC held a moment of silence for the victims of the attack and held a Philippine flag prior to their game against Minnesota United FC on April 27.^{[unreliable source?]}