Suspect fatally shot by San Francisco police after crashing car into Chinese Consulate

A car rammed into the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco on Monday, coming to a stop in the lobby and creating a chaotic scene that ended with police fatally shooting the driver, officials said.

San Francisco Police descended on the consulate shortly after 3 p.m. on a report of a vehicle crashing into the building and urged people to avoid the area. Video from the scene showed a blue Honda sedan inside the lobby of the consulate’s visa office.

Responding officers later found the vehicle inside the visa office of the San Francisco Chinese Consulate. Authorities confronted the suspect and a shooting ensued, San Francisco police Sgt. Kathryn Winters said during a news conference Monday evening. 

The suspect was treated at the scene but later died at the hospital, San Francisco police said. Officials did not provide information about the suspect or a motive. 

The San Francisco Police Department is working with the U.S. State Department and the Chinese Consulate to investigate the incident. Officials did not release additional details about the investigation but asked anyone with information about the crash to contact law enforcement.

"There’s a number of agencies involved. This is far different than an officer-involved shooting," Winters said. 

Winters did not say how many people were in the lobby at the time of the crash but said no other injuries were reported. Police later acknowledged that cell phone video of the incident was circulating on the internet. 

A statement from the Chinese Consulate General demanded more details about the incident and asked that it be "dealt with seriously in accordance with the law," adding: "Our embassy severely condemns this violent attack."

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Previous consulate incidents

A statement from the Chinese Consulate General demanded more details about the incident and asked that it be "dealt with seriously in accordance with the law," adding: "Our embassy severely condemns this violent attack."

The San Francisco consulate has been targeted a number of times before. Among the most serious was a fire set by a Chinese man on New Year’s Day 2014 at the main entrance. It charred a section of the outside of the building.

The man, who was living in the San Francisco Bay Area, told authorities he was driven by voices he was hearing. He was sentenced to nearly three years in prison.

Monday’s incident comes as San Francisco prepares to host next month’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, a gathering of world leaders from Pacific Rim nations. President Joe Biden plans to attend but it’s not clear if Chinese President Xi Jinping will come.

Contributing: The Associated Press