A car rammed into a Chinese consulate in San Francisco on Monday, and its driver was fatally shot by police as people fled the building. The consulate had remained open despite a federal holiday being observed on October 9, which is why people were in the lobby of the consulate’s visa office when the driver of a Honda Civic intentionally crashed through the entrance, according to Reuters.
It appears no one in the consulate was hit by the Honda Civic, but witnesses say the driver exited the vehicle and a confrontation ensued. Security guards reportedly attempted to restrain the driver, but the San Francisco Police arrived shortly thereafter and shot the unidentified man, who later died at the hospital.
One witness was at the visa office filing paperwork when the incident occurred at the Chinese consulate, which is located in San Francisco’s Japantown. Sergii Molchanov was among those who captured footage of the crash.
He tells ABC News that the driver got out of the car shouting expletives about the Chinese Communist Party and appeared to be reaching for a gun. Per ABC7:
“The man came out of the car, he was like bleeding, long hair, Asian look and he was saying something one thing I hear clearly was, ‘Where’s the f*****g CCP?’ That’s what he said,” said a man by the name of Sergii who was waiting for a Visa.
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“Then this man turned to his car and tried to get something from his car and in this moment the security guard kind of run to him and were able to hold him somewhat and at this moment people started to run,” said Sergii.
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“He clearly tried to get something from his car because I could hear the security guard say ‘do not take it out, do not take it out.’ I do not know what that it meant but that’s when the confrontation happened,” said Sergii.
Another witness says people began to flee the consulate at the mention of a gun for fear of becoming trapped inside the building, as ABC7 reports. But the SFPD have not confirmed whether the man was armed nor have they released his identity. There is little information currently available from local authorities due to the crash being at the consulate, which complicates the investigation.
San Francisco Police are working with the U.S. State Department, but the investigation is ongoing. So far, the police have only said that, “Despite the lifesaving efforts of officers, paramedics, and hospital staff, the suspect was pronounced deceased at the hospital.”
The Associated Press says the Chinese Consulate general is calling this a “violent attack,” and is demanding that the driver’s actions be dealt with swiftly and in accordance with laws governing consular relations between the U.S. and China. This is not the first incident at the same consulate: in 2014, a man set fire to the entrance, partially burning an outer section of the building.
