A man who drove a U-Haul truck toward U.S. Coast Guard personnel in San Francisco last month was charged Oct. 30 with assault on federal officers, according to the Justice Department.
Justice said that on Oct. 23, Brendan Munro Thompson, 26, accelerated toward Coast Guard personnel standing watch on a bridge connecting Coast Guard Island, which houses Coast Guard Base Alameda, with Oakland, California.
“Let this be clear: there is zero tolerance for assault on federal officers or property, and those who do so will face federal criminal charges,” U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian said.
Several dozen demonstrators were gathered nearby at the time of the incident, protesting possible deployment of Homeland Security Department personnel to San Francisco. President Donald Trump had threatened to send federal agents to San Francisco to address what he said was a problem with crime, but eventually decided to call it off.
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At around 10 p.m., Thompson reversed his 10-foot-long box truck toward Coast Guard personnel stationed in a line across the bridge, according to the criminal complaint.
When the Coast Guard personnel realized the truck was coming toward them, they moved toward a Coast Guard law enforcement vehicle parked on the bridge.
The U-Haul truck briefly stopped before continuing to accelerate backward toward the personnel, with some of them directly in its path as it gained speed.
The Coast Guard personnel yelled at the truck to stop but the driver continued to drive toward the personnel, who eventually fired their weapons at the truck.
The U-Haul truck then stopped before driving forward and away from the Coast Guard personnel and stopping briefly at the end of the bridge.
The U-Haul truck drove further away before the driver stopped and left the truck. He then got into a car that had driven beside it, which then drove away.
Thompson was admitted to a hospital that evening with a gunshot wound to the back, after being driven there by a third party.
The truck got as close as 15 to 20 feet to the Coast Guard personnel, who said they feared the vehicle contained a bomb, according to the criminal complaint.
Thompson is set to appear in federal district court for a preliminary hearing Monday.
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
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