Update: White House condemns violent car crash into San Francisco's Chinese Consulate
SAN FRANCISCO -- The White House on Tuesday condemned a violent crash at the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco where a man rammed a car into the lobby, creating a chaotic scene that ended with police shooting the driver, who later died at the hospital.
"We condemn this incident and all violence perpetrated against foreign diplomatic staff working in the United States," White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said.
UPDATE: Driver shot by police after ramming into San Francisco Chinese Consulate identified
U.S. government officials have been in contact with Chinese foreign ministry officials in the aftermath of the incident Monday, according to a White House official who was not authorized to comment and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The White House official added that investigators believe the driver was "acting with malign intent."
As of Tuesday morning, police had shared no additional details on the identity of the driver or how the incident unfolded.
San Francisco police said Monday they didn't know why the unidentified driver smashed through the front of the consulate, located in in Japantown. In a statement, the Chinese Consulate General described it as a "violent attack."
Officers responded to the scene at Geary and Laguna a little after 3 p.m. Arriving officers found a car that had crashed through the front of the building, coming to a stop inside of the lobby.
Video from the scene showed a blue Honda sedan inside the consulate's visa office and people running to exit the building.
"Officers entered, made contact with suspect and an officer-involved shooting occurred," said SFPD Sgt. Kathryn Winters
Winters added that the suspect died at the hospital despite "life-saving efforts."
There were no reports of any injured people inside the building.
Police did not provide any additional information regarding the incident. Winters did say this is a unique investigation because of the number of jurisdictions and agencies involved that impact the amount of information that can be shared. She couldn't give information on the suspect or any further details.
This is an open and active investigation and SFPD is working with investigators with the U.S State Department.
The incident comes as San Francisco is preparing 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.
President Biden stated last week that he could potentially meet with Xi on the sidelines of the summit.
The statement from the Chinese Consulate General demanded more details about what happened and asked that it be "dealt with seriously in accordance with the law."
"Our embassy severely condemns this violent attack," the statement said.
Consulates typically have some type of security, such as locally hired guards. Neither the consulate nor San Francisco police immediately responded to questions about what security was in place at the facility.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin again called for an investigation at a daily briefing Tuesday without giving any details about damage to the consulate or injuries to staff and visitors.
"We strongly urge the U.S. to launch a swift investigation and take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese diplomatic missions and personnel there in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations," Wang said, referring to the 1961 agreement governing relations between countries.
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.details about damage to the consulate or injuries to staff and visitors.
"We strongly urge the U.S. to launch a swift investigation and take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese diplomatic missions and personnel there in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations," Wang said, referring to the 1961 agreement governing relations between countries.
The San Francisco Chinese 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.
