Several “defensive” gunshots were fired by guards at Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis after an individual drove their vehicle through a control point outside the base gate, according to a statement from 502nd Air Base Wing.
Just after 4:00 p.m. on Oct. 21, a suspect drove toward the gate “at a high rate of speed” in the wrong direction of traffic, Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis spokesperson Angelina Casarez told Military Times. The intruder was on the base for several minutes, but did not reach any training areas on the camp.
“Security forces pursued the driver and took defensive measures when the suspected gate runner attempted to exit the installation via the inbound lane traveling at an excessive rate of speed,” according to the statement.
No injuries to Air Force personnel or the suspect were reported, Casarez said. Air Force property was also undamaged. Casarez added that the gate runner was later involved in another incident nine miles from the base, where they were apprehended by the San Antonio Police Department.
In February 2021, an intruder gained unauthorized access to a jet at Joint Base Andrews after coming onto the base. The Air Force later announced it would review security practices at its installations.
According to the base’s website, Joint Base San Antonio is home to more than 200 mission partners across its three locations — JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, JBSA-Lackland and JBSA-Randolph. The 502nd Air Base Wing is the base’s support wing.
Zamone “Z” Perez is a rapid response reporter and podcast producer at Defense News and Military Times. He previously worked at Foreign Policy and Ufahamu Africa. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he researched international ethics and atrocity prevention in his thesis. He can be found on Twitter @zamoneperez.