On Monday, authorities in the United States shot and killed a driver whose automobile collided into the Chinese consulate in San Francisco.
Unverified social media footage showed officers pointing their firearms at the driver’s door of a vehicle inside the building as people ran downstairs and into the open.
The suspect, according to a consular official, drove “violently into our consulate’s administration hall, posing a serious threat to the lives of staff and people on-site and causing significant damage.”
Sergeant Kathryn Winters of the San Francisco Police Department said officers responded after being alerted to the vehicle colliding with the immigration office.
“Officers entered, made contact with the suspect and an officer-involved shooting occurred,” Winters told reporters.
Officers, paramedics, and medics attempted to save the suspect’s life, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later, according to Winters, who added that police could not reveal the suspect’s identify.
According to the local ABC7 News channel, workers saw a man drenched in blood and appeared lifeless being transported away from the site.
“This is an open and active investigation and the San Francisco Police Department is currently working in coordination with investigators from the US State Department,” Winters said.
According to a representative for the embassy, the organization “strongly condemns this violent attack and reserves the right to pursue accountability for the incident.”
“The Consulate has made solemn representations to the US side, requesting a prompt investigation into the truth and a serious punishment in accordance with the law.”
San Francisco is home to a considerable number of ethnic Chinese residents, many of whom are from Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Beijing regards as a renegade province that it intends to seize one day.