CNN Correspondent Detained by LAPD During Live Broadcast
A dramatic incident unfolded live on air in Los Angeles last night, as CNN National Correspondent Jason Carroll was detained and briefly questioned by police while reporting on the unrest in the city. The shocking moment was captured on camera, with Carroll heard telling police his name before being walked away with his hands behind his back.
According to eyewitnesses, a police officer told Carroll, "We’re letting you go. You can’t come back. If you come back, you will be arrested." Carroll responded with a calm "Ok." The scene was described as tense, with Carroll later telling Laura Coates back in the studio, "I was walking over to the officer, tried to explain who I was, who I was with. He said, I’d like you to turn around. I turned around, I put my hands behind my back. They did not put me in zip ties, but they did grab both my hands as I was escorted over to the side, they said, you are being detained."
The incident highlights the increasingly fraught relationship between law enforcement and the media in the United States. This is not the first instance of a journalist being caught in the middle of police and protesters. On Sunday, Lauren Tomasi, the U.S. correspondent for Australia’s 9News, was reportedly shot by a rubber bullet while reporting on the immigration protests. British news photographer Nick Stern required emergency surgery over the weekend after sustaining a leg wound during the clashes.
A coalition of 27 press and civil liberties advocacy groups, led by the Los Angeles Press Club, First Amendment Coalition, and Freedom of the Press Foundation, has written to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem expressing alarm at the potential violation of journalists’ First Amendment rights. The groups stated, "The press plays an essential role in our democracy as the public’s eyes and ears. The timely reporting of breaking news is necessary to provide the public with complete information, especially about controversial events."
The Los Angeles Press Club has documented at least 24 instances of journalists being targeted by law enforcement while covering protests in Los Angeles between June 6-8. Multiple media workers have reported being shot by police with less-than-lethal munitions. Those journalists targeted include Southern California News Group’s Ryanne Mena, freelance journalists Anthony Cabassa and Sean Beckner-Carmitchel, The Southlander’s Ben Camacho, British photojournalist Nick Stern, and LA Taco’s Lexis Olivier-Ray.
CNN has reported that while Carroll was released, two members of his camera crew were arrested. The incident has sparked widespread concern about the relationship between law enforcement and the media, with many calling for greater accountability and protection for journalists. As the situation continues to unfold in Los Angeles, one thing is clear: the role of the media in reporting on protests and unrest is under scrutiny like never before.
The news of Carroll’s detention was first reported by Yahoo News, who obtained footage of the incident. According to Yahoo News, Carroll described the scene to Laura Coates back in the studio, providing a firsthand account of the events that transpired.
City News Service contributed to this report.
