The chaotic scene occurred last week when Zhanyuan Yang, aged 31, brazenly rammed his blue Honda sedan into the lobby of the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in San Francisco. The incident, which police confirm was timed at just after 3pm local time, strangely resulted in no other injuries apart from Yang’s.
During a town hall meeting held by the San Francisco Police Department last Thursday, intriguing details of the consulate attack began to unravel. Officials shared 911 calls as well as body camera recordings of the responding officers.
One such video depicts the nerve-racking scene as it unfolded. A responding officer can be viewed approaching the scene, revealing the wreckage caused by the blue car in the building’s lobby. As the officer drew closer, a man, later identified as Yang, can be seen frantically attempting to shield his face.
The tension culminates as Yang is cornered against a wall, and an off-screen enquiry into the possibility of concealed weaponry can be heard. A sudden gunshot resonates, and Yang collapses.
According to Acting Cmdr. Mark Im, who spoke at the town hall meeting, Yang had brandished a knife as he was pinned against the wall by the sergeant and the security guard. He is then seen making several swift, downward thrusts with the weapon, endangering the present officials.
Prior to the police’s arrival, a desperate attempt to control Yang was made by the consulate’s security guards who utilized pepper spray, yet to no avail. A damning discovery was made on the scene, as a fully loaded CenterPoint crossbow and accompanying arrows were found in Yang’s crashed car, though Yang’s motive remains enshrouded in mystery.
Witness testimonies, gathered through emergency 911 calls, corroborated the magnitude of the incident. About 30 people were inside the lobby when Yang drove into the consulate building. The footage shows panicked individuals fleeing amid the commotion, as Yang continued to resist apprehension beside his wrecked car.
This following an initial hesitation by police to disclose the circumstances under which they had opened fire or confirm if Yang was indeed armed. They had also been reticent to confirm or deny whether the consulate crash was a premeditated act.
Valuable video recordings provided by a witness, Sergii Molchanov, displayed the fear and chaos as people attempted to escape from the path of the blue car which had crashed into the building’s wall. Molchanov claims the driver alighted from the car shouting an anti-CCP slogan and picked a fight with the security detail.
“The terrified visitors and myself fled for safety. I remember hearing two gunshots,” remarked Molchanov about the frightening ordeal.
Following the incident, the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco expressed their deep concern over the property damage and the imminent threat to human lives the incident posed. They demand a swift and thorough investigation conforming to the protocols of the law.
San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott announced that several search warrants had been executed with evidence subsequently gathered from Yang’s apartment. However, he reiterated the department’s inability to divulge a motive for the attack at the present time.
