Day before Vancouver's Lapu Lapu tragedy suspect told police items were thrown into his SUV
Article content
Accused mass murderer Kai-ji Adam Lo called Richmond RCMP the day before 11 people were killed at a Filipino street festival and claimed someone had thrown something into his SUV.
Article content
Article content
An officer interacted with Lo on the phone just before 3 a.m. Friday, but there was no further follow-up, a police source said. The Mountie then made an entry into the police computer system known as PRIME.
Article content
Article content
Sources said Lo was considered a 'frequent flyer' who called police regularly about his fears people were doing things to him and to the black SUV he allegedly used to mow people down at the Lapu Lapu festival just after 8 p.m. Saturday.
Article content
Article content
He was on 'extended release' from hospital and under the care of a mental health team at the time, Vancouver Coastal Health confirmed earlier.
Article content
Richmond RCMP Cpl. Adriana O'Malley would not comment on the interaction with Lo on Friday 'due to privacy reasons.'
Article content
Vancouver Police Sgt. Steve Addison said the VPD became aware of the April 25 interaction with police only after the murders. He said investigators ran the suspect's name through the PRIME database and got a hit for the April 25 incident.
Article content
Article content
But he said earlier that Lo had many mental health interactions with police before Saturday's tragic events.
Article content
Dr. Bill MacEwan, a psychiatrist who works at Surrey Pre-trial, told Postmedia that the volume of Lo's calls and interactions with police and Lo's apparent level of paranoia should have raised red flags for his mental health team.
Article content
'The question is, if they did see him, did they reassess how he was doing? Was he actually getting adequate treatment?' MacEwan said Wednesday. 'If they were not following up and not hearing about these episodes and then taking them into account…the system is failing.'
Article content
MacEwan said mental health teams meet regularly with those under their care in the community to ensure they're taking medications and abiding by other release conditions. Meetings are usually more frequent if someone requires extra monitoring, he said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
Suspect in Cirque du Soleil crash was having ‘religious delusions,' Vancouver police say
The suspect who allegedly crashed a car into an East Vancouver venue during a Cirque du Soleil performance Thursday evening was apparently experiencing 'religious delusions,' according to police. The vehicle slammed into the entrance of Pacific Coliseum around 8 p.m., approximately one hour after the crowded show began. The Vancouver Police Department said the suspected driver, a 30-year-old local man, was arrested at the scene and has since been certified under B.C.'s Mental Health Act, which allows for involuntary treatment. 'We trust that he's getting the care that he needs,' Sgt. Steve Addison told reporters Friday at a news conference. The suspect's name has not been publicized as he has not been criminally charged. Suspect was 'talking about Satan' Addison said the individual does not have a criminal record or any history of police interactions related to his mental health, but it was 'apparent' he was in crisis when officers arrived at the scene Thursday. 'He was speaking and acting erratically,' Addison said. 'Talking about Satan, talking about God, saying other things that made it very obvious he was experiencing a mental health crisis.' Authorities have not confirmed how fast the car was travelling when it crashed into Pacific Coliseum, but said it was moving at a significant speed. No one was injured – but Addison said the outcome could have been much worse if the vehicle had not struck a concrete column that prevented it from fully entering the venue. Witness Mike Roberts told CTV News he was at the Cirque du Soleil performance when he heard a loud bang, which he initially assumed was part of the act. He said he got up to investigate after seeing 'a small piece of the vehicle' had landed near his seat. 'Went behind the curtains and from there saw the car that was sitting inside, or partially inside the Coliseum doors,' he said. Pacific Coliseum crash Emergency crews respond after a car crashed into the entrance of Pacific Coliseum in East Vancouver on June 5, 2025. Incident reignites safety concerns Thursday's incident came 41 days after the Lapu-Lapu Day vehicle attack that left 11 people dead and dozens of others injured – and while the circumstances are different, Addison said 'some of the similarities' have understandably reignited safety concerns in the city. Those are even more pressing ahead of a weekend marked by a number of large-scale events in Vancouver, including the B.C. Lions home opener and Italian Day on the Drive. Police confirmed there will be mobile road barriers set up at both events, and that 300 extra officers will be deployed between Friday and Sunday to ensure public safety. 'We will have a high-visibility presence throughout the city in a variety of events,' Addison said. 'We're doing this to provide comfort and assurance to people, to deter crime, and to respond if something happens.' Heading into summer, with more massive events such as Pride and the Celebration of Light, the Vancouver Police Department will continue working with the organizers and city staff to 'do everything that we can' to keep the public safe, Addison said. 'We can't cage this city up, we can't bubble-wrap people,' he said. 'It's not reasonable or practical to put a police officer on every corner, and people don't want to see that. We can only worry about the things that we can control as a police agency.'
CBC
a day ago
- CBC
Bible group called 911 about man later arrested in ramming of Vancouver arena, police say
Social Sharing Vancouver police say the suspect in a vehicle ramming at the Pacific Coliseum Thursday night had been the subject of a 911 call earlier that day from a Bible study group. Sgt. Steve Addison says the man was reportedly acting erratically at the church, but he left before officers encountered him. Addison says the 30-year-old Vancouver man had no prior interactions with local authorities on either criminal or mental health grounds. The man was detained after a BMW sedan crashed into the Pacific Coliseum in East Vancouver during a Cirque du Soleil show at around 8 p.m. Thursday. No one was injured in the incident, with Addison calling it a "miracle" given the number of people inside and outside the arena at the time. WATCH | Man arrested after ramming car into Vancouver arena: Vancouver man arrested after vehicle driven into Pacific Coliseum 3 hours ago Duration 1:05 Vancouver police have arrested a 30-year-old man after a vehicle was driven into the entrance of the Pacific Coliseum Thursday night. Police say a Cirque de Soleil show was taking place inside and it was a "miracle" no one was hurt. Addison says the man is being held under the Mental Health Act, and it's believed he was suffering a "significant" crisis when the ramming happened. Police are not identifying him because he has not been criminally charged. Police presence at weekend events The incident came 40 days after an SUV plowed through a crowd at the Lapu-Lapu Day festival, also in East Vancouver, and killed 11 while injuring scores of others. Addison said there was no evidence the latest ramming was linked to terrorism or copied the Lapu Lapu festival attack, but police understand that the public may be fearful given similarities between the two incidents. He said that is why police are ensuring safety at events this weekend — including the B.C. Lions' season opener on Saturday and the Italian Day festival on Commercial Drive — by deploying more than 300 additional officers, as well as vehicle barriers. The barriers were seen being installed on Commercial Drive on Friday ahead of the Italian cultural festival. "We fully understand that as soon as this vehicle struck the Coliseum last night, the first thing that was going to be in people's minds was a flashback to what happened 40 days earlier at the Filipino Lapu Lapu festival," Addison said. "That's the natural reaction. "If I have a message for people, it's please know that we're doing everything that we can, in our power, working with our partners to mitigate risks, to make this summer as safe as possible."
Toronto Star
a day ago
- Toronto Star
Bible group called 911 about man, later arrested in ramming of Vancouver arena
VANCOUVER - Vancouver police say the suspect in a vehicle ramming at the Pacific Coliseum Thursday night had been the subject of a 911 call earlier that day from a Bible study group. Sgt. Steve Addison says the man was reportedly acting erratically at the church, but he left before officers encountered him. Addison says the 30-year-old Vancouver man had no prior interactions with local authorities on either criminal or mental health grounds. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The man was detained after a BMW sedan crashed into the Pacific Coliseum in East Vancouver during a Cirque du Soleil show at around 8 p.m. Thursday. No one was injured in the incident, with Addison calling it a 'miracle' given the number of people inside and outside the arena at the time. Addison says the man is being held under the Mental Health Act and it's believed he was suffering a 'significant' crisis when the ramming happened. Police are not identifying him because he has not been criminally charged. The incident came 40 days after the Lapu Lapu Day Festival attack, also in East Vancouver, where an SUV plowed through a crowd and killed 11 while injuring scores of others. Addison said there was no evidence the latest ramming was linked to terrorism or copied the Lapu Lapu festival attack, but police understand that the public may be fearful given similarities between the two incidents. He said that is why police are ensuring safety at events this weekend' — including the BC Lions' season opener on Saturday and the Italian Day festival on Commercial Drive — by deploying more than 300 additional officers as well as vehicle barriers. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The barriers were seen being installed on Commercial Drive on Friday ahead of the Italian cultural festival. 'We fully understand that as soon as this vehicle struck the Coliseum last night, the first thing that was going to be in people's mind was a flashback to what happened 40 days earlier at the Filipino Lapu Lapu festival,' Addison said. 'That's the natural reaction. 'If I have a message for people, it's please know that we're doing everything that we can, in our power, working with our partners to mitigate risks, to make this summer as safe as possible.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025.
