A CNN reporter and his crew have been arrested live on air while covering the ongoing protests in Minneapolis, US, over the killing of George Floyd by white police officers.
Floyd was arrested by Minneapolis police on Monday, May 25th, for reportedly using a counterfeit $20 note in a store. While being detained, officer Derek Chauvin - a 19 year veteran of the force - knelt on his neck for a number of minutes, which resulted in the African-American man losing consciousness, and later passing away.
Protests have since broken out across the country, with people demanding that all four officers involved in Floyd's death - who have since been fired from their posts, but not arrested - be brought to justice.
Watch a news report on the incident below, where a white CNN journalist describes how differently he was treated by police at the demonstration:CNN's Omar Jimenez was reporting at the scene, this morning, when he was detained by riot police and led away in handcuffs. Jimenez can be heard asking police why he was being arrested, but received no response.
Footage shows Jimenez surrounded by riot police, telling the officers that he is a journalist, and that he would instruct his crew to move wherever officers wanted them to. "We can move back to where you’d like," Jimenez can be heard saying.
Speaking to law enforcement in a cooperative manner, Jiminez continued:
"We are live on the air at the moment, this is the four of us, we are one team. Just put us back where you want us, we are getting out of your way. Just let us know.
Wherever you want us, we will go. We were just getting out of your way when you were advancing through the intersection. Just let us know, and we’ve got you."
Despite this, the reporter was arrested and led away, before his crew - including producer Bill Kirkos and photojournalist Leonel Mendez - were also apprehended.
Mendez' camera was set on the ground and continued to transmit live footage to viewers, while the show's anchor narrated what was going on. "I have never seen anything like this," the anchor can be heard saying. "I’ve never seen anything like this. The camera is being walked away now… This is the police carrying our camera right now, frankly not aware that it’s still rolling."
Watch as Jimenez gives an account of his arrest, this morning:CNN confirmed the arrest, and called for the immediate release of its employees, describing their detainment as a "clear violation of their First Amendment rights."
"A CNN reporter & his production team were arrested this morning in Minneapolis for doing their jobs, despite identifying themselves - a clear violation of their First Amendment rights. The authorities in Minnesota, incl. the Governor, must release the 3 CNN employees immediately," the publication posted on their Twitter account.
According to Deadline, the crew has since been released from police custody - after state Governor Tim Walz intervened, and apologized to CNN president, Jeff Zucker - denouncing the incident as "totally unacceptable and inadvertent."
CNN's Josh Campbell, who is caucasian, was also in the area. While he was not standing with the on-air crew, he was approached by police and permitted to remain at the demonstration. "I identified myself… they said, “OK, you’re permitted to be in the area," he explained. "I was treated much differently than [Jimenez] was."
After being released, Jimenez went on air to issue an update on his situation. "We’re doing ok, now," he said. "There were a few uneasy moments there."