San Francisco police have provided official details of the incident in which a man was killed by police after intentionally crashing a car at the Chinese Consulate earlier this month. The man, identified as 31-year-old San Francisco resident Zhanyuan Yang, was armed with a knife, a crossbow, and arrows during the attack. San Francisco Police Acting Commander Mark Im revealed during a virtual town hall that Yang stood against a wall, hiding a knife in his right hand. He then rotated towards a police sergeant and a security guard, exposing the knife and making multiple rapid downward swinging motions towards them.
Despite orders to get on the ground, Yang failed to comply, leading the officer to open fire. Yang was subsequently taken to a hospital, where he later died. The motive behind the attack remains unknown as investigators have not released any information regarding it.
Witnesses at the scene described the incident. Sergii Molchanov, who was waiting in line to submit his visa documents, stated that a blue Honda sedan crashed through the main doors at full speed, narrowly missing him. Molchanov mentioned that the driver was bleeding from his head as he exited the car, yelling about the Chinese Communist Party (C.C.P.). Another witness, Tony Xin, reported that the driver was holding two knives when he got out of the car and began arguing with security guards. Police arrived less than a minute later.
The Chinese government and the White House condemned the crash. The incident occurred as San Francisco was preparing to host the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which brings together world leaders from Pacific Rim nations. The Chinese Consulate in San Francisco has been targeted multiple times in the past, including a fire set by a Chinese man in 2014.
