Vancouver authorities should have known festival attacker posed threat, lawsuit says

VANCOUVER — In the weeks before a deadly attack at a Vancouver Filipino festival, suspect Adam Kai-Ji Lo asked to have his antipsychotic medication reduced, even as his mental health was deteriorating, a B.C. Supreme Court lawsuit says.

The proposed class-action civil suit filed Thursday by a survivor of the attack says Lo’s psychiatrist was concerned during a meeting on April 11 that his patient’s mental health was deteriorating, that his delusions were increasing and his antipsychotic medication was insufficient.

On April 26, Lo is alleged to have sped an SUV through a street crowded with people attending the Lapu Lapu Day festival. He is accused of 11 counts of second-degree murder and 31 of attempted murder.

Among those injured was John Lind, whose lawsuit says he sustained multiple rib fractures, a punctured spleen and lung and kidney laceration.

The lawsuit seeks damages for Lind and others harmed by the vehicle-ramming attack.

“This doctor was concerned about the defendant Lo’s efforts to have his antipsychotic medication reduced and was also worried about further deterioration of his mental health,” the lawsuit says. “During this appointment, the psychiatrist expressed concern that the defendant Lo’s current dosage may be insufficient to be considered therapeutic.”

The lawsuit names as defendants the City of Vancouver, Vancouver Coastal Health authority and Lo.

It says those within the Vancouver Coastal Health authority knew the defendant’s state was deteriorating but he remained on “extended leave” from the mental health facility where he had been receiving care.

Lo had been diagnosed with schizophrenia some time before the attack, the lawsuit says.

In the three months before April 26, the lawsuit says Lo spent more than US$1,000 to buy a device to identify chemical warfare agents. The day before the attack, he called neighbouring Richmond RCMP to say someone spilled chemicals in his SUV and that a virus had been installed in his dash camera, the statement of claim says.

“The defendant Lo was regarded as a ‘frequent flyer’ among law enforcement agencies, including the (Vancouver Police Department) and the Richmond RCMP,” it says, noting that in the years leading up to the attack Lo had a significant history of mental health interactions with various officers and police departments.

It says the City of Vancouver and its police department failed to protect those attending the festival and that vehicle’s “unlawful entry” at the festival site “was reasonably foreseeable.”

The City of Vancouver said Friday it couldn’t comment because the matter was before the courts, but Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said in a news conference in September that no city could completely eliminate all risks to public safety in such circumstances, and that it wasn’t feasible to protect every event among thousands that are held each year.

Sim said a “deep dive” was needed to address the mental health challenges that were the “root cause” of many public safety concerns in the city.

The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority said in a statement that the alleged driver was in the care of a mental health team.

It says extended leave is intended to allow clients to maintain their treatment while transitioning back into the community.

“If the client on extended Leave does not follow their treatment plan and/or their mental health deteriorates, their care team has the ability to quickly readmit them to hospital,” the statement says.

It says privacy laws and the criminal investigation prevents the authority from saying more.

“Vancouver Coastal Health extends its deepest condolences to the victims of the tragedy after the Lapu Lapu Day Festival, their families and the entire Filipino community during this incredibly challenging time,” the statement says.

Lo is due back in court Oct. 30.

None of the allegations have been proven in court and the defendants haven’t yet filed statements of defence.

The lawsuit says both Vancouver Police and the health authority should have know that Lo was an imminent threat to himself or others.

It says the city failed to proactively install any vehicles barriers to lessen the chance of a vehicle incursion, while police didn’t adequately assess the special event permit application for possible dangers.

In order to be declared a class-action lawsuit, it first must get certification from the court.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2025.

Terri Theodore, The Canadian Press