Wild video shows security officers opening fire at a U-Haul truck that accelerated toward them outside a U.S. Coast Guard base in California during an overnight anti-ICE protest.
Dramatic footage from KPIX shows protesters cheering as the truck reverses quickly at officers guarding the bridge to Coast Guard Island in Alameda near the end of a day-long protest against hundreds of immigration officials deployed there.
As the vehicle got dangerously close, officers responded with a barrage of gunfire at the moving truck, which immediately stopped in its tracks, the video shows.
“He just hit the gas and sped towards them,” KPIX photographer Rick Villaroman said. “And that’s when they opened fire. About 20 to 30 rounds.”
The masked driver then floored the truck forward, before stopping and appearing to look at his phone in front of protesters before driving off.
Witnesses said the truck also struck two bystanders, according to KPIX, but authorities have not reported injuries.
“The driver of the U-Haul came back, parked it down this street here, and walked out and left,” Villaroman said, noting that the truck had been parked outside of the base for most of the day.
The Coast Guard said in a statement that the vehicle began backing towards security at the gate around 10 p.m. local time.
The driver, they said, refused to listen to their commands to stop before officers started shooting.
“When the vehicle’s actions posed a direct threat to the safety of Coast Guard and security personnel, law enforcement officers discharged several rounds of live fire,” the Coast Guard said in a statement.
No injuries to Coast Guard personnel were reported and the FBI is leading the investigation into the incident, officials said.
Earlier Thursday morning, hundreds of federal agents arrived at the base ahead of a planned immigration enforcement surge in the Bay Area and were met by hundreds of protesters who tried to stop them from entering, according to KGO.
President Trump said Thursday he would not deploy federal troops to San Francisco after speaking with the mayor and business leaders — but the troops still arrived at the base, which was to be used as a staging area for operations.
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