SAN FRANCISCO -- A vehicle crashed into the Chinese consulate in San Francisco on Monday, prompting a massive response from police and fire personnel.

The San Francisco Police Department also said in a statement that an officer or officers had fired their guns at the site of the crash but provided no other immediate details.

A heavy police presence descended on the area and the department urged the public to avoid the area. Television cameras showed a vehicle that had crashed into the building.

A Honda sedan was seen crashed into the visa office and the area in front of the building was cordoned off.

The Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China is on a major street across from the city’s Japantown neighborhood.