Freddie Gray Violent Protests: Reporter Assaulted, Robbed During Protesting Chaos [Video]
On April 25, the city of Baltimore, MD was turned upside down after thousands of Freddie Gray protesters invaded the streets. The protest began as a peaceful march, but soon took a destructive, volatile turn. Unlike most organized demonstrations that involve picketing and chants, the recent Freddie Gray protest, which is the largest to date, was actually more of a riot. According to CNN, an overwhelming number of angry protesters were involved in various physical altercations with the Baltimore Police Department on Saturday night.
The violent protests reportedly took place in the downtown area of the city near the Baltimore Orioles’ stadium, Oriole Park at Camden Yards. In addition to protesters shoving police officers, dozens of cars were also vandalized and police paraphernalia was stolen. Protesters were seen throwing objects at police officers and several police cruisers were also damaged. One protester was also seen wearing a police officer’s helmet while standing on top of a police cruiser with several others, reports The Blaze. However, that’s not all. The news publication also reported details about a Russian reporter who was assaulted and robbed by protesters.
The moments leading up to the incident were caught on camera by the Russian publication, Ruptly. While a reporter and producer were working to get coverage on violent, the reporter was knocked down and robbed. Details about the assault and robbery were reported on the Russian site. However, the footage uploaded to YouTube does not show the actual attack.
Here’s a brief, translated excerpt of the Russian report.
“At international producer videoagentstva Ruptly stole a bag right during filming protests in the U.S. Baltimore. Woman surrounded by a group of young people, one of them snatched the bag and ran. The producer had to independently pursue the attacker until police intervened.”
No arrests have been made in relation to this incident as of yet.
The police department took to Twitter with details about the numerous altercations that took place. So far, at least 12 people have been arrested for their involvement in the violent protests.
We continue to have a few isolated pockets of individuals causing disturbances. We are deploying resources to keep everyone safe.
— Baltimore Police (@BaltimorePolice) April 26, 2015
We have made approximately 12 arrests this evening. We continue to deploy resources to keep everyone safe.
— Baltimore Police (@BaltimorePolice) April 26, 2015
ICYMI: #PCBatts provides an update on the protests in Baltimore: https://t.co/cMEZFRYvRj
— Baltimore Police (@BaltimorePolice) April 26, 2015
No further details have been released.
[Image(s) via WJZ-13, YouTube Screen Captures]
