He Was Just Grabbing An Ube Bun, Then Became the Hero Who Stopped the Lapu Lapu Festival Suspect

By Kollective Hustle Staff
As told to Yong Chavez, ABS-CBN News

What started as a celebration of Filipino pride quickly turned into a nightmare.

The Lapu Lapu Day Festival in Vancouver had all the ingredients of a feel-good weekend: community vibes, the smell of sizzling food, families repping Filipino culture, and a set from none other than the Black Eyed Peas. That day, the streets were alive. Until they weren’t.

Paul Palines, a 33-year-old Filipino Canadian Muay Thai fighter, hadn’t even planned to be there. A friend invited him just days before. He showed up, had an ube bun (“really good,” he said), wandered between food carts, and nearly stayed longer to grab a burger. But something—maybe instinct, told him to leave.

“I had a gut feeling,” Paul said in an interview with ABS-CBN News' Yong Chavez. “I decided to just head home instead, to get pizza on the way.”

Then, the chaos hit.

A black Audi rammed through the festival crowd, flipping the celebration into tragedy. Screams pierced the air. Food carts shook. People scattered.

Paul saw the car stop—already damaged—and the driver step out and make a run for it.

And just like that, Paul didn’t think. He chased.

“The first thing I thought was: I have to get after this guy before he gets away.”

He caught him. Grabbed his arm. Looked him straight in the eye and said, “Where are you going? You can’t leave.”

What kicked in wasn’t training. It was muscle memory from life. He remembered watching a clip once—another hit-and-run, another stranger who stepped in. In that moment, Paul became that stranger.

More people came. The Filipino community surrounded the suspect. Some yelled. Most were shaken. Paul, still processing, quietly walked away.

He didn’t know the full extent of the damage. But he knew it was bad.

“I caught a glimpse of a woman on the sidewalk. People were trying to revive her. I couldn’t look. I just kept walking.”

Paul is soft-spoken, not the type to seek the spotlight. Born and raised in Canada to Filipino immigrant parents, he credits Muay Thai with helping him build confidence and discipline. He’s been training since 2009-and even won his most recent competition just a few months ago.

“Before Muay Thai, I didn’t do much. Just stayed home, played video games. But martial arts gave me structure. It keeps me grounded.”

And now, it’s helping him cope. He’s still running. Still training. Still trying to sleep. But the flashbacks hit hard.

“The experience just keeps playing in my head. Catching him. His face. Over and over again.”

He’s seeing a counselor now, something he found through a friend on social media. He’s taking time off work. Healing, slowly. But the weight of the loss, especially for the victims and their families, hasn’t gone away.

“I’m just hurting,” he shared. “It was awful.”

Paul never thought he'd be called a hero. But his community sees him. His gym family sees him. The internet sees him.

“My friends thanked me. They were proud I got the guy. They said it was the least I could do. And yeah... I agree.”

He never expected his first Filipino festival to end like this. And he still struggles to find the words for what comes next.

When asked what gives him hope, Paul paused.

“I don’t know,” he said. “That’s a tough question.”

And maybe that’s okay. Because sometimes, the bravest thing isn’t knowing what to say—it’s doing what needs to be done, without expecting anything back. Paul Palines didn’t go to the festival to be a hero.

But when it mattered most, he showed us the quiet power of action, and the heart of a community that refuses to let tragedy have the last word. We know we’re not the only ones to thank him for his courage to step in last weekend.

Watch the full interview here: