Suspect fatally shot by San Francisco police after crashing car into Chinese Consulate
A car rammed into the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco on Monday, coming to a stop in the lobby and creating a chaotic scene that ended with police fatally shooting the driver, officials said.
San Francisco Police descended on the consulate shortly after 3 p.m. on a report of a vehicle crashing into the building and urged people to avoid the area. Video from the scene showed a blue Honda sedan inside the lobby of the consulate’s visa office.
Responding officers later found the vehicle inside the visa office of the San Francisco Chinese Consulate. Authorities confronted the suspect and a shooting ensued, San Francisco police Sgt. Kathryn Winters said during a news conference Monday evening.
The suspect was treated at the scene but later died at the hospital, San Francisco police said. Officials did not provide information about the suspect or a motive.
The White House on Tuesday condemned the crash.
“We condemn this incident and all violence perpetrated against foreign diplomatic staff working in the United States,” White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said.
The San Francisco Police Department is working with the State Department and the Chinese Consulate to investigate the incident. Officials did not release additional details about the investigation but asked anyone with information about the crash to contact law enforcement.
"There’s a number of agencies involved. This is far different than an officer-involved shooting," Winters said.
Winters did not say how many people were in the lobby at the time of the crash but said no other injuries were reported. Police later acknowledged that cell phone video of the incident was circulating on the internet.
A statement from the Chinese Consulate General demanded more details about the incident and asked that it be "dealt with seriously in accordance with the law," adding: "Our embassy severely condemns this violent attack."
A White House official who wasn't authorized to speak publicly said investigators believe the driver was “acting with malign intent," the Associated Press reported.
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Witnesses say driver of the car was bloodied, holding knives
Witness Tony Xin, who was inside the consulate when the car crashed, told KTVU-TV the man drove right through the front of the building, then get out of the car and was bleeding and holding two knives. Xin said he saw a security guard try to detain the man. Xin and others then ran out of the building through the damaged doorway, he said.
“I heard a really loud bang. I thought it was gunshots. I looked to the left and there was smoke,” Xin said. “I turned back and saw the guy take out a crossbow; one of those cross bow shooting things."
Another witness, Sergii Molchanov, told several news outlets the driver was shouting about where to find the C.C.P., an abbreviation for the Chinese Communist Party.
Previous consulate incidents
The San Francisco consulate has been targeted a number of times before. Among the most serious was a fire set by a Chinese man on New Year’s Day 2014 at the main entrance. It charred a section of the outside of the building.
The man, who was living in the San Francisco Bay Area, told authorities he was driven by voices he was hearing. He was sentenced to nearly three years in prison.
Monday’s incident comes as San Francisco prepares to host next month’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, a gathering of world leaders from Pacific Rim nations. President Joe Biden plans to attend but it’s not clear if Chinese President Xi Jinping will come.
Contributing: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: San Francisco Chinese Consulate car crash: Police fatally shoot driver
