Police: Driver who crashed into Chinese language consulate in San Francisco tried to stab a responding officer earlier than being fatally shot

By Veronica Miracle and Aya Elamroussi | CNN

The driving force who crashed a blue Honda sedan into the Chinese language consulate in San Francisco final week was armed with a knife and had a loaded crossbow in his automobile earlier than he was shot and killed by police, authorities mentioned Thursday.

Zhanyuan Yang, 31, rammed into the foyer space of the Consulate Basic of the Folks’s Republic of China on October 9 simply after 3 p.m. native time, San Francisco Police mentioned final week. On the time, police mentioned there have been no different accidents.

On Thursday, the San Francisco Police Division held a city corridor the place it addressed particulars about how the assault on the consulate unfolded. Officers performed 911 calls and physique digital camera footage of responding cops.

One video reveals an officer arriving on the scene and working right into a constructing within which seems a blue sedan has crashed. Because the officer makes his means farther into the constructing, the digital camera strikes nearer to a person wearing a blue T-shirt and pants whereas masking his face. Ultimately, the person is pushed in opposition to a wall, as a voice is heard asking him if he’s armed with a gun. Seconds later, an officer fires his gun on the man, who then collapses onto the ground.

“Because the sergeant and the safety guard pinned Mr. Yang from behind in opposition to the wall, Mr. Yang rotated towards the sergeant and the safety guard and uncovered the knife in his proper hand,” San Francisco Police Performing Cmdr. Mark Im mentioned on the city corridor assembly.

“Mr. Yang made a number of, fast downward swinging motions with the knife in direction of the path of the sergeant and safety guard,” Im added.

Earlier than officers arrived on the scene, consulate safety guards used pepper spray on Yang, police mentioned.

Police collected a loaded CenterPoint crossbow and arrows from the scene, they mentioned. Launched proof photographs present the crossbow and arrows within the again seat of the crashed automobile, although a motive stays unclear.

In keeping with launched 911 calls, witnesses mentioned there have been roughly 30 individuals within the foyer when a automobile crashed into the consulate constructing. One caller advised a dispatcher the motive force deliberately crashed into the constructing. A witness video additionally reveals greater than a dozen individuals fleeing the constructing as safety guards attempt to subdue Yang as he stood subsequent to his crashed automobile within the foyer.

The small print emerged after police had declined to say why they opened fireplace on the scene or whether or not the motive force was armed. Police final week additionally didn’t say whether or not the crash was deliberate.

Movies recorded by witness Sergii Molchanov present individuals working previous a blue automobile smashed in opposition to a wall contained in the consulate, which is scattered with particles. Molchanov mentioned final week he was ready to submit visa paperwork when the automobile crashed into the constructing via the primary door and right into a wall simply ft away from the place he was sitting.