Latest news with #SteveAddison
Toronto Star
an hour 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.
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
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. 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. 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. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Vancouver man arrested after driving into Pacific Coliseum entrance during Cirque du Soleil show, police say
A 30-year-old man has been arrested after driving a vehicle into the Pacific Coliseum on Thursday night, say Vancouver police. The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) said on X, formerly Twitter, that the suspect drove a vehicle into the front entrance of the arena, located at East Vancouver's Hastings Park, during a Cirque du Soleil performance. Arena security detained the man and police officers took him into custody. Police said that while it is still early in the investigation, the incident "does not appear to be an act of terrorism." The suspect, a Vancouver resident, was apprehended under the Mental Health Act, police said. At a Thursday night press conference outside the arena, VPD Sgt. Steve Addison said police believe the driver was "experiencing some sort of mental health psychosis." Police said there are no reported injuries. B.C. Emergency Health Services said it received a call at 8:02 p.m. regarding a single-vehicle collision at Pacific Coliseum. Three units responded to the scene and paramedics transported one patient. "There were lots of people here, thousands of people inside and outside of the venue," Addison said Thursday night. "We're relieved. It's a miracle that nobody was killed."
Toronto Star
5 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Man arrested after car rams Vancouver arena during Cirque du Soleil show
Vancouver police say it's a 'miracle' no one was injured after a vehicle was rammed into the Pacific Coliseum arena during a Cirque du Soleil show late Thursday. Police said the vehicle was driven into the front entrance of the building just after 8 p.m. and no one is believed to have been injured, despite crowds inside and outside the show. 'Coliseum security detained the man until VPD officers arrived and took him into custody,' the department said in a social media post. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 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. Police said a 30-year-old Vancouver man was arrested under the Mental Health Act and the crash did not appear to be an act of terrorism. Sgt. Steve Addison told Global News at the scene late Thursday that police didn't believe there was a link between the crash and the recent Lapu Lapu Day Festival attack in Vancouver. The ramming attack at the Lapu Lapu Day Festival on April 26 killed 11 people and injured dozens more. Addison said it was a miracle nobody was killed or seriously hurt Thursday night, 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. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW He said that although the investigation was only hours old, '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. Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said in a social media post that he was 'incredibly grateful no one was hurt.' 'The safety of everyone attending events in our city is our top priority and we'll continue working to keep Vancouver safe,' Sim said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025.
Vancouver Sun
8 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Vancouver police investigating after vehicle crashes into Cirque du Soleil arena
Vancouver police say it's a 'miracle' no one was injured after a vehicle crashed into the Pacific Coliseum arena on Thursday evening. Police say a vehicle drove into the front entrance of the building around 8 p.m. while a Cirque du Soleil show was taking place. They say a 30-year-old Vancouver man has been arrested under the Mental Health Act and the crash does not appear to be an act of terrorism. In a post to social media platform X, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says he's grateful that no one was hurt. Sgt. Steve Addison told Global News that police don't believe there's a link between this and the Lapu Lapu Day Festival attack in Vancouver. The ramming attack at the Lapu Lapu Day Festival on April 26 killed 11 people and injured dozens more.
