American Journalists Robbed While Covering Armed Robbery Incident

Encounter with Armed Robber While Reporting in Area with Surge in Robbery Incidents
Camera and Personal Belongings Stolen During Filming

Reporters from a broadcasting station in Chicago, USA, were robbed at gunpoint by armed robbers while investigating the surge in armed robberies.

[Image source=Pixabay]

On the 29th (local time), foreign media including The Washington Post (WP) reported that two reporters from the Chicago-area TV news outlet 'Univision Chicago' were robbed by armed assailants around 5 a.m. the previous day while preparing for a broadcast in the Walker Park district of West Chicago, where armed robbery incidents have recently surged.

The police stated, "While the reporting team, consisting of one reporter and one cameraman, was filming live footage at the scene, a black sport utility vehicle (SUV) and a gray passenger car approached and stopped. Three men wearing ski masks and each holding a gun got out of the cars."

They pointed guns at the reporters and demanded money. They also searched the news vehicle and took two bags containing cameras and broadcasting equipment set up for filming, as well as the cameraman's personal bag, before getting back into the car and fleeing.

Fortunately, there were no injuries.

Spanish TV broadcast in the Chicago area, Univision Chicago.
[Image source: Screenshot from the Univision Chicago website]

'Univision Chicago' confirmed that the two victims of the robbery are their employees, a 28-year-old man and a 42-year-old man. They did not disclose the victims' names to protect their privacy.

The police said they were still investigating the incident as of the day after it occurred and that the suspects had not been apprehended.

The incident occurred amid police investigations into at least eight armed robberies and vehicle thefts that took place consecutively between the night of the 27th and the morning of the 28th in the Walker Park district, about 8 km west of downtown Chicago.

The police explained that although no direct connection between these cases has been established, the similarity lies in the fact that 2 to 4 individuals hid and then attacked the victims.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported, "This is already the second case in the past three weeks where Chicago TV production staff were robbed during reporting," adding that on the 8th, a cameraman from ABC affiliate WLS-TV was assaulted and robbed while reporting on the West Side of Chicago.

The media cited Chicago police data, stating, "The homicide rate in Chicago has decreased by 8% compared to the same period last year, and gun-related incidents have dropped by 11% since August last year. However, reports of robbery incidents received up to the 27th of this year have increased by 23% to over 6,500 compared to the same period last year."

It added, "Reports of vehicle thefts totaled approximately 19,500, nearly doubling (a 99% increase) compared to last August."

The Chicago branch of the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians (NABET) said, "Broadcasting companies and union officials are reviewing additional measures to strengthen security for on-site production teams."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.