CBS News Chicago crew attacked near Adler Planetarium, three arrested
A CBS News Chicago crew was attacked near Adler Planetarium as they prepared for the 4 p.m. newscast, and police later took three people into custody.
A CBS News Chicago crew was attacked near Adler Planetarium as they prepared to go live for the 4 p.m. newscast, and Chicago police later took three people into custody after a pursuit across the city’s Southwest Side. The confrontation happened just before 4:30 p.m. Monday on the 900 block of East Solidarity Drive on Chicago’s Museum Campus, where the reporter and photographer were working in public view.
Multiple men got out of a white tow truck and walked toward the crew, according to CBS News Chicago and police. Witnesses said one suspect shouted racial slurs at a Black cameraman and tried to direct a dog to attack him, but the dog did not bite. When the encounter escalated, one man smashed the photographer’s camera and another smashed the news truck’s windshield with a traffic cone.
The reporter and photographer were not injured. CBS News Chicago said it was “shocked and horrified” and grateful the journalists were safe. The attack landed in a part of the city that draws visitors, tourists and working crews throughout the day, underscoring the vulnerability of journalists who cover public events from open streets and sidewalks rather than controlled venues.
Police later located the tow truck and pursued it into the Southwest Side, where three people were taken into custody. Officers recovered a gun from the truck, and one report said a high-powered rifle was also found. Other reporting placed the suspects in Brighton Park and Little Village after they left the scene. As of Monday night, police had not publicly released suspect descriptions or a motive.
The attack adds another stark example of the risks faced by television crews who work live shots in crowded public spaces, especially when equipment, vehicles and reporters are exposed before airtime. Chicago officials have not said whether the incident will lead to extra protection for crews in the field or whether police have seen similar attacks on media workers rise locally or nationally.
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