L.A. News Crew Attacked On Skid Row; Police Say Man “Went For Officer’s Gun”
A KTTV news cameraman was attacked today as he filmed in the skid row area of downtown Los Angeles, resulting in a fight in
which three LAPD officers were slightly injured. The crew was filming outside the Midnight Mission on 6th Street, near the scene of a fatal officer-involved shooting Sunday, when a man grabbed the photographer’s camera, breaking it. The cameraman called 911, and officers arrived quickly.
“A local Fox TV affiliate was shooting B-roll at about 12:07 PM at 6th and San Pedro when a guy on the street approached the cameraman and tried to grab the camera,” LAPD media relations officer Jack Richter told Deadline. “The camera was broken, and the cameraman and suspect started to fight. Police were called. Two officers showed up, and the officers started to fight with the suspect. The suspect went for the officer’s gun and began fighting with the officers. Three officers were injured and treated at the scene. The suspect is in custody. The news crew was shaken but unhurt.”
Veteran local news reporter Phil Shuman is quoted on KTTV’s website as saying his crew was there to document “the reality of day-to-day struggles on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles. In the aftermath of Sunday’s fatal shooting of a homeless man by the LAPD during a robbery call, I wanted to try to give our viewers a sense of the challenges that everyone, especially the police, deal with every day in that area.”
Shuman said police tackled the suspect and used a “contact” taser to subdue him. He called the incident a “vivid example of the volatile nature of some people here and how quickly the routine can turn dangerous.”
Related stories
Jane Levy Signs On To Brooklyn Disaster Film 'Bushwick'
Billy Corben's Backyard Bare-Knuckle Brawl 'Dawg Fight' Grapples With Online Distribution
Bill O'Reilly Scores His Best Ratings Of 2015
Get more from Deadline.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
