FBI: Colorful pants helped identify ICE protester shot in Oakland

OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) — A protester’s colorful pants helped FBI agents figure out who was allegedly behind the wheel of a U-Haul truck that accelerated directly toward a line of United States Coast Guard officers in Oakland before officers shot the driver, investigators said. The shooting happened during an anti-ICE protest.

The FBI and U.S. Attorney Northern District of California identified the protester as 26-year-old Brendan Munro Thompson, aka Bella Thompson, aka Bella Castillo.

Thompson identifies as transgender and goes by the name “Bella,” FBI Special Agent Mikael Bergh wrote in a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday.

FBI agents said they found Thompson after the October 23 shooting at Highland Hospital in Oakland, where the suspect was being treated for a gunshot wound injury.

“At Highland Hospital, (Alameda Police Department) officers recovered distinctive multicolor pants from the belongings and clothing that was taken from Thompson. The pants … appear consistent with the pants worn by the driver of the U-Haul truck. Thompson was subsequently admitted to a psychiatric hospital,” FBI Special Agent Mikael Bergh wrote in a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday.

On October 23, USCG officers were guarding a bridge that connects Coast Guard Island with Oakland while hundreds of anti-ICE protesters were in the area. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and border control agents were staging at the island to prepare for President Donald Trump’s “surge” into San Francisco.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the “surge” would target “the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens” in SF. Trump ultimately called-off his plan, however, tensions at the bridge remained high and protests continued.

Dressed in riot gear, dozens of California Highway Patrol officers pushed protesters back from the bridge so that U.S. Department of Homeland Security personnel, including ICE agents, could pass through. Later that night, members of the Coast Guard opened fire on a U-Haul truck when it accelerated in reverse toward their security line on the bridge.

Coast Guard officers feared that the 10-foot-long U-Haul truck may contain explosives and the driver ignored their commands to stop, prosecutors said. They also feared “possibility that the truck would strike them or their colleagues.”

United States Attorney Craig Missakian said, “Thompson drove a U-Haul truck directly into a line of Coast Guard personnel who were protecting the Coast Guard base. 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.”

Bergh said the driver was shot in the back. Immediately after the shooting, the U-Haul driver drove away and fled from the area. Investigators found surveillance videos showing the U-Haul truck parking on Dennison Street before someone in a sedan picked up the injured driver and apparently rushed them to a hospital.

Investigators combed through the abandoned U-Haul and photographed the driver’s seat, which was riddled with bullet holes.

Investigators also turned to social media to find more videos of the U-Haul truck and suspect arriving at the protest by the bridge prior to the shooting. “The driver appeared to be wearing a
green baseball cap, a white face mask, a dark jacket, a dark backpack, and distinctive multicolor
pants,” FBI agent Bergh wrote.

Thompson arrived at Highland Hospital suffering from a gunshot wound at 10:08 p.m. on October 23. Police officers determined that the pants Thompson was wearing matched the colorful pants worn by the U-Haul driver seen in social media videos, according to agent Bergh.

“Thompson suffered a gunshot wound between the shoulder blades, which is consistent with the location of the apparent bullet hole in the upper portion of the U-Haul truck’s driver’s seat,” the FBI agent wrote.

FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Cobo said, “Attempting to use a truck to assault federal officers performing their lawful duties is not protest, it is a violent and serious federal crime. The FBI stands firmly with our federal law enforcement partners and will always work to protect those who protect our communities.”

Thompson made their first court appearance Tuesday to face charges, including assault with a deadly weapon against a federal officer.

If convicted, Thompson could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The suspected U-Haul driver will return to court on November 10.