Vancouver ramming attack the latest in which vehicles have been used as a deadly weapon
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Around the world, perpetrators fuelled by motives ranging from terrorism and far-right extremism to misogyny and mental illness have deployed the tactic increasingly in recent decades.
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Vehicles are 'easily obtainable, and a ramming attack requires little preparation' or skill, notes a 2018 study from San Jose State University's Mineta Transportation Institute.
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'It is in fact an effective tactic for motivated individuals to do harm, if you think about it, because it doesn't require any special training,' said Jennifer Magnus, who teaches public safety and law enforcement at Wilfrid Laurier University.
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'They can grab a vehicle, whether they rent it or use their own, and then just use it as a weapon against innocent bystanders.'
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Magnus, who served as a Calgary police officer for 14 years, also stressed the trauma and dread spawned by mass killings.
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'It creates that level of fear in citizens.'
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Vancouver's interim police chief said a 30-year-old local man was arrested for the Saturday night attack, which saw an SUV plow through a crowded South Vancouver street at high speed in a nightmarish scene that left a trail of wreckage and victims strewn on the ground. The tragedy left 11 dead as of 12:30 p.m. EST, with dozens more injured.
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Police said on social media platform X they were 'confident' the incident was not an act of terrorism.
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While mass shootings are rare in Canada relative to its southern neighbour, car-ramming attacks have ramped up over the past decade.
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In February 2023, a Quebec man was charged with killing two children and injuring six others after he allegedly drove a city bus into a Montreal-area daycare. The Crown and defence jointly submitted evidence the man was likely in a state of psychosis at the time. They are expected to recommend he be found not criminally responsible.
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