Tuesday, a U.S. official said the driver who crashed into the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco the day before did so “with malign intent,” but authorities haven’t revealed the driver’s identity or reason for what the Chinese government called a “violent attack.”
On Wednesday, after someone crashed into the Chinese Consulate building in San Francisco, emergency personnel were stationed outside the visa office. (Source: Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle via AP/ West Hawaii Today)
The Unidentified Driver Intentionally Hit the Wall
A witness waiting to submit his visa documents at the embassy Monday saw the automobile rush through the main doors and hit a wall. Sergii Molchanov reported the driver exited the truck bleeding from his head and ranting about the C.C.P. The motorist was shot by San Francisco police and died in the hospital. According to White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson, the incident, as well as all violence against foreign diplomatic workers serving in the United States, is condemned.
A White House official who requested anonymity said U.S. officials had been in communication with Chinese foreign ministry officials since Monday’s event. Investigators suspect the driver was “acting with malign intent.” San Francisco police said Monday they didn’t know why the unidentified vehicle drove through the consulate’s front in a residential neighborhood near a major street. The San Francisco Police Department said Tuesday it had no additional information and will convene a town hall meeting within 10 days to discuss the fatal shot.
Molchanov was standing in line to submit his immigration documents when a blue Honda automobile sped in through the front doors, barely missing him. Molchanov told The Associated Press that the automobile hit a wall and the driver, who was bleeding, exited. Molchanov recorded security guards approaching the man and people running out of the building on his phone. “Two entrance security guards tried to confront him and calm him down,” Molchanov claimed. “But I couldn’t see what he held.”
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San Francisco Police Investigates the Unidentified Driver
Molchanov said he ran outside as the man looked to be grabbing something from his car. San Francisco Police arrived soon after. Molchanov reported two gunshots. San Francisco police haven’t specified how many officers fired or if the motorist was armed. Another witness reported the driver exited the car bleeding and clutching knives and argued with security guards. Tony Xin said KTVU-TV he witnessed a security officer try to stop the driver before he fled through the shattered doorway.
Xin said five police officers rushed into the premises with their pistols drawn less than a minute after the driver got out of the automobile. More officers joined them, he added. I heard a huge bang. Thought it was gunfire. I saw smoke to the left,” Xin said. I turned around and saw him draw a crossbow.” The police are collaborating with the State Department and Chinese Consulate investigations. World leaders from Pacific Rim nations will meet in San Francisco next month for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference. President Joe Biden will go, but Xi Jinping may not. According to the Chinese Consulate, the incident should be “dealt with seriously by the law.” “Our embassy severely condemns this violent attack,” it said.
Consulates often recruit local guards. San Francisco police and the embassy did not immediately answer queries about facility security. At a daily briefing Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin again called for a probe without mentioning embassy damage or worker and visitor injuries. Wang said, “We strongly urge the U.S. to launch a swift investigation and take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese diplomatic missions and personnel there by the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations,” a 1961 international agreement.
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