Man arrested after vehicle driven into Vancouver Cirque du Soleil arena, no one hurt
VANCOUVER — Vancouver police say a man has been arrested after a vehicle was driven into the Pacific Coliseum arena while a Cirque du Soleil show was taking place.
They said no one was injured and the crash does not appear to be an act of terrorism, or related to the Lapu Lapu Day attack that took place in April.
Police said on social media that the incident happened just after 8 p.m. Thursday.
They said the 30-year-old man from Vancouver was apprehended under the Mental Health Act.
Photographs shared on social media show a dark-coloured sedan with its front end crumpled at what appears to be the entrance of the arena in East Vancouver.
The crash comes 40 days after a ramming attack on the Lapu Lapu Day festival in Vancouver that killed 11 people and injured dozens.
Sgt. Steve Addison told Global News outside the arena that Thursday's incident did not appear to be related to the Lapu Lapu attack.
He said it was "a miracle" that nobody was killed or seriously hurt, given that so many people were inside and around the arena at the time.
"We do believe that this person was in the midst of some sort of mental health break or episode when this happened," Addison said.
He said that the investigation was only hours old, "but what I can tell you is that we don't believe this is a copycat episode."
He acknowledged that the incident was alarming, occurring in the wake of the April attack.
"It's definitely going to bring back those emotions and that level of anxiety that our entire community has been experiencing for over a month now," he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2025.
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