26-Year-Old Charged After Accelerating U-Haul Truck Toward USCG Personnel During Protest

A 26-year-old Oakland resident has been charged after allegedly driving a U-Haul truck toward U.S. Coast Guard personnel at Coast Guard Base Alameda last month, forcing officers to open fire in a tense late-night incident caught on video.

According to court documents unsealed on Tuesday, the suspect, identified as Brendan Munro Thompson, who also uses the names Bella Thompson and Bella Castillo, is accused of assaulting federal officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon. Thompson made an initial court appearance earlier the same day, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California, Craig Missakian, confirmed.

The confrontation happened on 23 October after a day of protests against a planned federal immigration enforcement surge in the San Francisco Bay Area. The operation was later called off. Coast Guard personnel were guarding the entrance of the base, located on a man-made island in the Oakland Estuary, when demonstrators gathered near the bridge connecting Oakland to the base.

According to the criminal complaint, the U-Haul truck had been parked near the base for most of the day. Around 10 p.m., the driver allegedly backed the truck onto the bridge toward Coast Guard security officers standing in a line. Video footage showed the truck first moving slowly, then suddenly accelerating in reverse toward the officers.

The officers shouted for the driver to stop, but the truck kept reversing at high speed, covering about 15 to 20 feet. Fearing that the vehicle could hit them or contain explosives, the Coast Guard personnel opened fire, shooting dozens of rounds.

After the gunfire, the truck sped away from the scene. The FBI said two people later arrived at nearby hospitals with gunshot wounds. Both had non-life-threatening injuries. Thompson was among them and was taken into custody after receiving treatment.

Photos released later showed officers inspecting the abandoned U-Haul truck near the base entrance.

U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian said that Thompson’s actions amounted to an assault on Coast Guard personnel who were protecting the base. He added that there would be “zero tolerance” for any attack on federal officers or property.

FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Cobo also condemned the incident, saying that using a vehicle to assault officers performing their duties was not a form of protest but a violent federal crime.

Bay Area legal analyst Steven Clark said that, even though the officers were not struck by the truck, the Justice Department believed they were in reasonable fear for their safety. He added that investigators might consider additional charges, possibly related to domestic terrorism, depending on whether the act had political motives.

Clark noted that mental health and other factors could also play a role in the case. He said a future jury might have to decide whether this was an assault with a deadly weapon or a protest that got out of control.

Thompson is scheduled to appear again in federal court on 10 November before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kandis A. Westmore for a detention and preliminary hearing.

If convicted, Thompson faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, though the final sentence will depend on federal sentencing guidelines.

References: abc7news, foxnews

Source: Maritime Shipping News