This raw video shows the moment a Chinese spy balloon was shot down off the Carolina coast on Saturday. This raw video shows the moment a Chinese spy balloon was shot down off the Carolina coast on Saturday. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III released this statement after the balloon was shot down: "This afternoon, at the direction of President Biden, U.S. fighter aircraft assigned to U.S. Northern Command successfully brought down the high altitude surveillance balloon launched by and belonging to the People's Republic of China (PRC) over the water off the coast of South Carolina in U.S. airspace.