Driver Who Rammed Chinese Consulate Had Crossbow, Knife

Authorities don't yet have a motive
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 10, 2023 2:00 AM CDT
Updated Oct 20, 2023 2:30 AM CDT
San Francisco Police Fatally Shoot Driver Who Rammed Car Into Chinese Consulate
San Francisco police investigate at the Chinese consulate in San Francisco, Monday, Oct. 9, 2023. Officials said a car rammed into the consulate building, coming to a stop in the lobby and creating a chaotic scene that ended with police shooting the driver, who later died at the hospital.   (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group via AP)
UPDATE Oct 20, 2023 2:30 AM CDT

A man who crashed a car at the Chinese Consulate earlier this month had a crossbow and arrows and swung a knife at officers before a police sergeant killed him, San Francisco police said Thursday, offering the first official details of the attack. San Francisco police showed body camera footage from the officers who responded to the Oct. 9 attack on the consulate, which is in a residential neighborhood in the city. San Francisco Police Acting Commander Mark Im, speaking at a virtual town hall, said Zhanyuan Yang got out of his car, where police found a crossbow and arrows, and stood against a wall; after being pepper-sprayed he turned toward the sergeant and a consulate security guard and made "multiple, rapid, downward swinging motions with the knife" he was holding in their direction. A motive is still under investigation, the AP reports.

Oct 10, 2023 2:00 AM CDT

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 shooting the driver, who later died at the hospital, officials said. Police descended on the consulate building after 3pm on a report of a vehicle crashing into the building and urged people to avoid the area, the AP reports. Officers entered the lobby of the consulate's visa office, made contact with the suspect, and an officer-involved shooting occurred involving the driver, police Sgt. Kathryn Winters said during a short news conference. Despite "life-saving efforts" the suspect was pronounced deceased at the hospital, police said.

Television cameras showed a Honda sedan crashed into the visa office and the doors in front of the building were cordoned off. Winters said they didn't know why the vehicle crashed into the building or how many people were inside at the time, but said they didn't have reports of other injuries. Police are working and coordinating with investigators from the US Department of State and the Chinese consulate. "I wish I could give you more but this is a very complex investigation," Winters said.

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A statement from the Chinese consulate general denounced Monday's incident. "On the afternoon of October 9, 2023 ... an unidentified person drove a vehicle and violently crashed into the document hall of our consulate, posing a serious threat to the safety of staff and people on site, and damaging the facilities of our consulate," the statement said. "Our embassy severely condemns this violent attack." The consulate said that it has demanded more details about the incident and asked that it be "dealt with seriously in accordance with the law."

(More San Francisco stories.)

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