By Aaron Miller-
A television news crew reporting on a surge in armed robberies in Chicago found themselves on the receiving end of the very crime they were covering. The incident occurred early Monday morning in the Wicker Park neighborhood, underscoring the heightened risks that journalists sometimes face while delivering news from the front lines.
As the news crew prepared to film a live shot around 5 a.m., a black SUV and a gray sedan abruptly pulled up to the scene. According to the Chicago Police Department, three male suspects, donning ski masks and brandishing firearms, emerged from the vehicles. The journalists were cornered and robbed at gunpoint.
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The assailants, who displayed weapons and demanded money from the news crew, seized the camera used for reporting on the surge in robberies, along with two bags of equipment and a photographer’s backpack.
Univision Chicago vice president of news Luis Godinez confirmed on Monday that the two men robbed were Univision employees, and that they are safe.
He said there were no injuries reported and Area 5 detectives are investigating.
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Monday’s robbery, first reported by CWB Chicago, is the latest in a crime spree happening in Chicago’s Wicker Park, Bucktown, and West Town areas.
Although the victims’ employment was not initially confirmed by the police, Spanish-language TV station Univision Chicago later identified the two victims as employees from their station: a 28-year-old man and a 42-year-old man.
Luis Godinez, the vice president of news at Univision Chicago, recounted the harrowing experience. “They were approached with guns and robbed,” he stated. Fortunately, no injuries were reported at the scene.
The incident occurred against a backdrop of escalating crime in Chicago. Recent reports have detailed at least eight armed robberies and carjackings that transpired over a single weekend. While police have not yet established connections between these events, a common thread emerges: groups of two to four individuals ambushing victims, unleashing a wave of terror.
In the broader context of crime statistics, Chicago’s rate of homicides has dipped by 8 percent compared to the same period last year. Additionally, shooting incidents have seen an 11 percent decrease from August 2022. However, the city has been grappling with a spike in other criminal activities, such as robberies and motor vehicle thefts.
Police data reveals a staggering 23 percent increase in robbery complaints in 2023, with more than 6,500 reported cases as of Sunday. Equally alarming is the 99 percent surge in reports of motor vehicle thefts compared to the same time frame in August 2022.
The city’s response to the rising crime wave is under scrutiny, with demands for action resonating across the community. A spokesperson for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) remained silent on the matter, though the mayor’s office had earlier stated that the police department’s bureau of patrol and detectives were collaborating to address robbery and motor vehicle theft cases.
Tragically, this incident is not isolated within the realm of journalism. Across the United States, television news crews have increasingly become targets of violence. In 2015, reporter Alison Parker and photojournalist Adam Ward of CBS affiliate WDBJ in Roanoke fell victim to a fatal shooting during a live TV interview. Subsequent years saw crews in Raleigh, San Francisco, and Miami Beach encountering violent attacks while in the line of duty.
Disturbingly, this is the second instance in just three weeks that a Chicago TV news crew has been robbed while covering a story, pointing to the heightened risks and challenges faced by journalists on the ground.
As these incidents underscore, the pursuit of truth and the dissemination of news often come at a steep cost, demanding both courage and resilience in the face of adversity.
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