Security Incident at Coast Guard Base Alameda: Driver Shot After Vehicle Ramming Attempt

A truck driver sustained a stomach wound, but is expected to survive after an incident at a US Coast Guard installation in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Authorities reported Friday that law enforcement officers shot at the driver who had backed a vehicle into Coast Guard Base Alameda, a location that had earlier been the site of immigration-related protests.

According to a statement posted on X by the US Department of Homeland Security, the driver was subsequently placed under mental health evaluation after "attempting to weaponize the vehicle to ram into Coast Guard Base Alameda" during Thursday night's incident. A bystander was struck by a fragment, received hospital treatment, and was subsequently released.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that no Coast Guard personnel suffered injuries during the incident. Security forces issued "multiple verbal commands" for the driver to stop, but these were ignored, with the vehicle "suddenly accelerating backwards at a high rate of speed directly toward them."

The statement further explained, "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 defensive live fire."

While the driver sustained a stomach wound and was expected to recover, the Homeland Security statement did not explicitly confirm whether the injury was caused by gunfire.

The FBI has taken over the investigation of the incident. "At this time, the incident appears to be isolated, and there is no known current threat to the public," said FBI spokesperson Cameron Polan in San Francisco. No additional details were immediately available.

Video footage from the scene showed what appeared to be a U-Haul truck attempting to reverse into the base. U-Haul company spokesperson Jeff Lockridge stated that "U-Haul is assisting law enforcement to meet any investigative needs they have."

Earlier on Thursday, protestors had gathered at the island, many singing hymns and displaying signs with messages like "Protect our neighbors" and "No ICE or troops in the Bay," referencing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the National Guard.

The incident occurred hours after President Donald Trump had canceled a planned deployment of federal agents to San Francisco that was intended to address crime issues. Mayor Daniel Lurie and Governor Gavin Newsom had argued that such intervention was unnecessary, citing declining crime rates.

Separately, US Customs and Border Protection agents had begun arriving at the Coast Guard base earlier Thursday for a possible increase in immigration enforcement activities, which drew hundreds of protesters to the area.

Trump indicated he reversed his decision after discussions with the mayor and prominent business leaders who assured him they were working to improve conditions in the city.

This change in approach contrasted with Trump's other decisions to deploy military forces to Democratic-governed cities despite strong opposition from local mayors and governors.

On Friday, the deployment of National Guard troops in Washington D.C. faced legal challenges in courts in both the nation's capital and West Virginia. Simultaneously, a judge in Portland, Oregon was considering whether to permit Trump's troop deployment there, while deployment remains blocked in the Chicago metropolitan area.

Coast Guard Island is an artificial 67-acre (27-hectare) landmass created in 1913 within the Oakland Estuary between Oakland and Alameda. The federally owned facility restricts public access, requiring either an escort or specific government identification. According to a 2016 Coast Guard document, it has housed Base Alameda since 2012.

Base Alameda provides various support services for Coast Guard operations throughout the West Coast region.