Chinese Citizen Crashes Car into San Francisco Chinese Consulate, Fatally Shot by Police
A dramatic incident at the Chinese consulate in San Francisco on October 9, which involved a Chinese citizen crashing his car into the consulate’s lobby, culminated in a deadly confrontation with local law enforcement. Newly released video footage has shed light on the sequence of events, as the individual appeared to brandish a knife and engage in a scuffle with a police officer, ultimately leading to his fatal shooting.
The incident, captured on police body-worn cameras, revealed the assailant’s apparent attempt to slash at a police officer with a knife, which transpired just moments before the officer resorted to using lethal force. Alongside the weapon in question, a folding knife with a 3-1/2-inch (8.9 cm) blade, officers also discovered a loaded crossbow with arrows in the backseat of the suspect’s vehicle, according to the San Francisco Police Department.
The release of this footage took place during a 90-minute “town hall meeting,” an online briefing regularly conducted by the San Francisco Police Department within ten days of any officer-involved shooting, as part of its commitment to transparency and public accountability.
Simultaneously, the police department is in the process of conducting an internal review of the officers’ conduct during the incident, in addition to a separate investigation into the case as a whole.
San Francisco Police Chief William Scott disclosed that the deceased suspect, identified as Zhanyuan Yang, was a 31-year-old Chinese national. However, he refrained from mentioning Yang’s immigration status or any potential connection to the consulate. A department spokesperson declined to provide further information on these matters.
Scott maintained that the police currently have no additional information to disclose regarding the possible motives behind the attack.
The tumultuous episode began when Yang drove his Honda sedan into the lobby of the Chinese consulate’s visa office around 3 p.m. The 911 recordings played during the Thursday presentation featured eyewitnesses describing the driver as being armed with a gun and suffering from head injuries as he exited the vehicle.
Contrary to these reports, the only weapons recovered at the scene were the aforementioned knife and crossbow, which bore some resemblance to a rifle.
Police statements clarified that two security guards inside the consulate initially managed to restrain Yang until police officers arrived on the scene a few minutes later.
Bodycam footage displayed the intense struggle between the police sergeant and one of the guards as they attempted to pin Yang against a wall. During this confrontation, Yang reportedly made “multiple, rapid, downward swinging motions” in the direction of the officers with the knife, which was clearly visible in the footage.
As two additional police officers rushed into the lobby to assist, the sergeant is seen stepping back before drawing his weapon and firing at close range. Regrettably, Yang succumbed to his injuries and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Remarkably, no other individuals were injured during the ordeal. However, the sergeant and others present in the lobby were heard coughing as they inhaled fumes of pepper spray, which had been unleashed prior to the officers’ arrival. The source of the pepper spray deployment remained unspecified.
At the time of the incident, China’s foreign mission swiftly condemned what it termed a “violent attack” on the consulate, urging a comprehensive investigation into the matter.
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