Police fatally shoot driver who crashed into Chinese Consulate in San Francisco
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Police seen outside the San Francisco Chinese Consulate on Oct. 9. Photo: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
A person who crashed a car into the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco on Monday was shot by police and later died in the hospital.
Driving the news: The incident occurred shortly after 3pm local time, when a car rammed into the lobby area of the Chinese Consulate, San Francisco police Sgt. Kathryn Winters said at a press briefing.
- When police arrived, they "made contact with the suspect and an officer-involved shooting occurred," she added.
- Police and paramedics rendered aid to the suspect, who was transported to a local hospital and later pronounced dead.
The big picture: Winters did not offer further details about how the shooting occurred or if the suspect was armed.
- The San Francisco Police Department is conducting an "open and active" investigation into the matter and is coordinating with investigators from the State Department, Winters said.
- No details about the suspect or their motive were provided at the press briefing.
- A witness told the New York Times that after crashing the car, the suspect exited the vehicle and started shouting, "Where is the CCP?" in an apparent reference to the Chinese Communist Party.
What they're saying: The Chinese Consulate in San Francisco condemned the incident in a statement, saying that it posed a "serious threat to the life and safety of staff and people on site," the Times reported.
- "Our embassy severely condemns this violent attack and reserves the right to pursue responsibilities related to the incident," it added.
Our thought bubble, from Axios' Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian: The incident comes as the U.S. and China are trying to stabilize their very rocky relationship.
- The Chinese government as well as many Chinese citizens are highly sensitive to perceived insults, and Chinese diplomatic missions abroad are a particular sore spot. After the U.S. closed the Chinese Consulate in Houston in 2020 due to allegations of espionage, China retaliated by closing the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu.
The San Francisco Consulate has repeatedly been at the center of U.S.-China controversies in recent years.
- In 2020, a Chinese researcher wanted by the FBI sought refuge in the consulate for weeks before being arrested.
- A suspected Chinese intelligence operative who targeted local politicians in California was also linked to a Chinese intelligence officer operating under diplomatic cover in that consulate.
What's next: The incident occurred ahead of next month's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, which President Biden is slated to attend and possibly meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Axios' Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian contributed to this story.
Editor's note: This story was updated with additional background.
