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.

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.

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.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns