(HorizonPost.com) – A driver slammed into the Chinese consulate in San Francisco on Monday and was shot by police and later died at the hospital, the Associated Press reported.
SFPD Sergeant Kathryn Winters told reporters during a press conference that the unidentified driver plowed through the front of the consulate just after 3:00 p.m. on Monday, crashing to a stop in the lobby of the visa office.
When responding officers entered the consulate and made contact with the driver, they opened fire. The driver was rushed to the hospital where he later died, Sgt. Winters said.
Winters did not explain why the suspect was shot, if he was armed, or how many officers fired. She told reporters that she could not go into details, saying only that it is “a very complex investigation.”
The San Francisco Police are coordinating with investigators from the State Department and the consulate, Winters said.
In a statement on Monday, the consul general demanded a detailed briefing on the incident and said it should be “dealt with seriously in accordance with the law.”
During a press briefing in Beijing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin urged the United States to “launch a swift investigation” into the incident and “take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese diplomatic missions and personnel” per the 1961 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.
The Chinese consulate in San Francisco has been targeted several times over the years, including an incident on New Year’s Day in 2014 when a Chinese man set a fire at the main entrance that scorched a section of the exterior of the building.
The man, who told police that his actions were driven by voices in his head, was sentenced to nearly 3 years in prison.
San Francisco will host the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in November featuring the leaders of Pacific Rim nations. President Biden is expected to attend. However, it is not clear as yet if China’s President Xi will be coming.
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