‘Suspicious device’ along BMO Vancouver Marathon route not public danger risk: VPD
Posted May 1, 2022 9:23 am.
Last Updated May 1, 2022 7:45 pm.
The 50th BMO Vancouver Marathon was off to a late start Sunday morning after a volunteer spotted a “suspicious device” along the route, police say.
Around 5 a.m. Vancouver Police received the report and promptly cordoned off an area near Science World, where the device was found.
(Chad Harris / CityNews Image)
“This is extremely concerning, and it appears the device was strategically placed along the half-marathon route, where runners would be passing close by,” Sgt. Steve Addison said. “Whoever did this was likely aiming to cause panic or to disrupt the event.”
(CityNews Image)
Related story:
VPD’s Emergency Response Team’s bomb technicians were deployed to examine and destroy the device, and later confirmed it was “not at risk of exploding and did not pose an immediate danger to the public.”
The half-marathon, which had a record number of runners registered this year, was supposed to start at 7 a.m. By 8:20 a.m., only 10 minutes before the full-marathon start time, VPD announced the incident had been resolved and the marathon could begin.
This was the first time the BMO Marathon was held in person since the pandemic started.
Runners at the finish line for the 2022 BMO Vancouver Marathon in Downtown Vancouver. (Kier Junos / CityNews)
