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Tension boiled over Thursday night at the gates of Coast Guard Base Alameda, where security personnel unleashed a barrage of gunfire on a U-Haul truck barreling backward toward the entrance, a move the U.S. Coast Guard described as a clear and immediate danger.
It was just after 10 p.m. when the scene unfolded in dramatic fashion, captured on video that shows the box truck's headlights piercing the darkness as it reversed erratically toward a barricade. Officers, positioned behind a security vehicle, could be heard shouting repeated orders to halt. But the driver didn't comply. Instead, flashes of muzzle fire lit up the night as law enforcement opened up, forcing the truck to lurch forward and speed away.
In a statement released Friday, the Coast Guard detailed the harrowing moments: Security personnel standing watch on Coast Guard Island had witnessed the U-Haul truck "driving erratically and attempting to back into the base." Officers at the entrance then "discharged several rounds of live fire" after the driver of the U-Haul ignored "multiple verbal commands" to stop and then proceeded to back in toward the base's entrance.
"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 agency said. Miraculously, no Coast Guard personnel were hurt in the chaos. But the fallout rippled outward: The truck, which had been idling suspiciously outside the base for much of the day, fled the scene, according to reports from CBS News. Local outlets, including The Mercury News, confirmed that two men showed up at nearby hospitals with gunshot wounds shortly after, one believed to be the driver himself, sources told the paper.
This wasn't just any quiet evening at the base. The incident came on the heels of a heated protest earlier that day, where demonstrators tried to blockade the entrance, aiming to stop U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents from accessing the facility. Dozens of California Highway Patrol officers in full riot gear moved in to clear the crowd and escort civilian workers out. Two protesters were detained in the melee, WABC-TV reported.
As images emerged of officers squaring off with signs-waving crowds outside the razor-wire perimeter, the backdrop only amplified the stakes. Coast Guard Island, that 67-acre man-made fortress in the Oakland Estuary, forged in 1913 and off-limits to the public without a government badge — has long been a symbol of federal resolve. Since 2012, it's housed Base Alameda, a nerve center for maritime security.
And in a twist tying it all to the national stage, the base had been eyed as a staging ground for a major federal operation. President Trump, in a Thursday post on Truth Social, revealed he'd scrapped plans for a "surge" of troops into San Francisco after a heart-to-heart with local allies. Trump credited San Francisco's mayor, Daniel Lurie, for steps against surging crime, enough to hit pause on the deployment, at least for now.
As investigators comb the scene Friday — yellow tape fluttering around the bullet-pocked truck on an Oakland side street, questions linger: Was this a lone actor's desperate bid, a protest gone awry, or something more coordinated? The Coast Guard's probe is just beginning, but one thing's clear: In an era of heightened alerts, the line between vigilance and volatility is razor-thin.
It was just after 10 p.m. when the scene unfolded in dramatic fashion, captured on video that shows the box truck's headlights piercing the darkness as it reversed erratically toward a barricade. Officers, positioned behind a security vehicle, could be heard shouting repeated orders to halt. But the driver didn't comply. Instead, flashes of muzzle fire lit up the night as law enforcement opened up, forcing the truck to lurch forward and speed away.
In a statement released Friday, the Coast Guard detailed the harrowing moments: Security personnel standing watch on Coast Guard Island had witnessed the U-Haul truck "driving erratically and attempting to back into the base." Officers at the entrance then "discharged several rounds of live fire" after the driver of the U-Haul ignored "multiple verbal commands" to stop and then proceeded to back in toward the base's entrance.
"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 agency said. Miraculously, no Coast Guard personnel were hurt in the chaos. But the fallout rippled outward: The truck, which had been idling suspiciously outside the base for much of the day, fled the scene, according to reports from CBS News. Local outlets, including The Mercury News, confirmed that two men showed up at nearby hospitals with gunshot wounds shortly after, one believed to be the driver himself, sources told the paper.
This wasn't just any quiet evening at the base. The incident came on the heels of a heated protest earlier that day, where demonstrators tried to blockade the entrance, aiming to stop U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents from accessing the facility. Dozens of California Highway Patrol officers in full riot gear moved in to clear the crowd and escort civilian workers out. Two protesters were detained in the melee, WABC-TV reported.
As images emerged of officers squaring off with signs-waving crowds outside the razor-wire perimeter, the backdrop only amplified the stakes. Coast Guard Island, that 67-acre man-made fortress in the Oakland Estuary, forged in 1913 and off-limits to the public without a government badge — has long been a symbol of federal resolve. Since 2012, it's housed Base Alameda, a nerve center for maritime security.
And in a twist tying it all to the national stage, the base had been eyed as a staging ground for a major federal operation. President Trump, in a Thursday post on Truth Social, revealed he'd scrapped plans for a "surge" of troops into San Francisco after a heart-to-heart with local allies. Trump credited San Francisco's mayor, Daniel Lurie, for steps against surging crime, enough to hit pause on the deployment, at least for now.
As investigators comb the scene Friday — yellow tape fluttering around the bullet-pocked truck on an Oakland side street, questions linger: Was this a lone actor's desperate bid, a protest gone awry, or something more coordinated? The Coast Guard's probe is just beginning, but one thing's clear: In an era of heightened alerts, the line between vigilance and volatility is razor-thin.
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