Man who crashed car at Chinese consulate had crossbow and knife, San Francisco police say

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A Chinese citizen who crashed his car into the Chinese consulate in San Francisco earlier this month was armed with a knife and a cross and arrows.

A policeman shot him dead after the accused scuffled with the officer, shows a newly released video of the confrontation.

In addition to recovering the weapon seen wielded by the suspect – a folding knife with a 3-1/2-inch (8.9 cm) blade – officers also found a loaded crossbow with arrows in the backseat of the man’s vehicle, police said.

Footage captured by police body-worn cameras was released during a 90-minute "town hall meeting", an online briefing the San Francisco Police Department typically presents within 10 days of any officer-involved shooting as part of its public transparency routine.

San Francisco Police acting commander Mark Im said at the virtual town hall that Zhanyuan Yang stood against a wall hiding a knife in his right hand. He said Yang then rotated toward a police sergeant and a security guard, exposing the knife, and made “multiple, rapid, downward swinging motions with the knife" in the direction of the sergeant and the security guard.

The sergeant opened fire after Yang failed to comply with orders to get on the ground. Yang, a 31-year-old San Francisco resident, was taken to a hospital where he died.

Investigators so far haven’t released a possible motive behind Yang’s intention of ramming a car into the visa office of the consulate on 9 October.

The department’s internal review of police conduct in the incident was continuing, along with a separate investigation into the overall case itself.

San Francisco Police chief William Scott made no mention of Yang’s immigration status or whether he had any connection to the consulate, with a department spokesperson saying she was not at liberty to answer those questions.

Mr Scott said police "don’t have anything further to release to the public" regarding possible motives for the attack.

According to police, Yang plowed his Honda sedan into the lobby of the consulate visa office around 3pm. Several people called 911, saying that a driver had deliberately crashed into the consulate’s office, according to recordings played on Thursday. One of the callers said the suspect had a gun, which dispatchers relayed to officers called to the scene.

Yang did not have a gun, police said.

Police body camera footage showed Yang leaning against a wall on his right side and rubbing his face with his left arm. Police said a security guard at the consulate had deployed pepper spray.

The police sergeant can be seen touching Yang’s back and asking “Does he have a gun?” before Yang turns around toward the officer and the security guard and starts swinging a knife. The footage shows the officer then opens fire and shortly after shouts, “You should have told me he had a knife!”

“A consulate is a place of safety and refuge where people should not have to worry about acts of violence,” said Captain Jason Sawyer on Thursday. “This was a highly unusual event that could have easily involved many more casualties.”

(Additional reporting from the agencies)