A 26-year-old man is now facing federal charges for a bizarre act that capped off a mostly peaceful day of protests outside the Coast Guard facility where federal agents were being staged for a local operation that called off by President Trump.

The events of Wednesday, October 22, and Thursday, October 23, rattled the Bay Area as President Trump's monthslong threat to send National Guard troops to quell non-existent unrest in the Bay Area appeared to be coming to a head. The news broke on the 22nd that around 100 federal agents, possibly from US Customs and Border Patrol, had been deployed to Coast Guard Base Alameda for an upcoming operation likely involving immigrants and/or federal properties — an obvious provocation by the Trump administration that would likely have spawned angry protests, which Trump would then use as a pretext for sending in the Guard and creating a new, entirely manufactured televised event for his own political gain.

By the morning of October 23, we were learning that Trump had had phone calls with Mayor Daniel Lurie and billionaires Marc Benioff and Jensen Huang who had convinced him not to pull this insanity in the Bay Area. But the early morning and remainder of the day on the 23rd nonetheless showed us a small piece of what could have unfolded, with a small but lively protest in Oakland, at the entrance bridge to the Coast Guard base, that resulted in high tension and a few injuries.

The most serious injuries came at the end of that day, when a U-Haul truck that had not previously been involved in any protest appeared to aggressively back up toward federal agents at the gate, and its driver refused to comply with commands to stop. After allegedly coming within about 15 feet of those agents, at least one of them opened fire toward the driver, striking and injuring him.

A bystander was also shot in the stomach, but survived.

The U-Haul truck then left the scene, only to park a few hundred yards away on a nearby street. And surveillance video showed that a car soon pulled up to fetch the injured driver, who was arrested after seeking treatment at a hospital.

That driver has now been identified as 26-year-old Brendan Munro Thompson, who also goes by the name Bella Castillo. As KTVU reports, Thompson has now been formally indicted in federal court, and he faces charges of assaulting federal officers.

"As alleged, Thompson drove a U-Haul truck directly into a line of Coast Guard personnel who were protecting the Coast Guard base, as they bravely do day in and day out," said U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian in a statement. "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."

Thompson's motives, and what he thought he was accomplishing with this brazen act, remain unclear.

Protesters that had been there all day say that Thompson arrived very late, around 9:30 pm, and acted entirely alone.

"In fact, we tried to stop them," says Kris Ness, speaking to KTVU. "It’s a really terrible picture for the rest of us... Aside from the fact that he was a completely independent actor, he refused to talk to us as well. It was all around just a really weird, dangerous, and unfortunate situation."

Thompson is scheduled to appear in federal court next week, November 10, to answer to these charges.

Top image: Police officers investigate a U-Haul truck that was involved in an incident outside of Coast Guard Island Alameda on October 23, 2025 in Oakland, California. U.S. Coast Guard police opened fire on a U-Haul truck after it backed up a ramp at the entrance to Coast Guard Island Alameda, where US Customs and Border Patrol agents are staying. Earlier in the day, U.S. President Donald Trump told San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie that he was suspending planned immigration raids in San Francisco. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)