CBS Chicago – A CBS News Chicago reporter and photographer were attacked near Adler Planetarium on Monday afternoon as they prepared for the 4 p.m. newscast. Three men from a white tow truck approached, shouted racial slurs, released a dog that did not bite, then damaged th
Just before 4:30 p.m. on Monday afternoon, the 900 block of East Solidarity Drive turned into a tense, chaotic scene for a CBS News Chicago reporter and photographer.
As the crew prepared to go on the air during the 4 p.m. newscast, three men in a white tow truck approached. Two witnesses visiting Chicago said they watched the truck park directly in front of the news van.
The crew and the two witnesses described a first aggressive move: a white or Hispanic man with a dog got out, then moved toward the journalists while shouting racial slurs aimed at one of them.
One witness said, “They just were trying to do anything they could to scare them unnecessarily. It came out of nowhere.”
The witness also said the slurs and the intimidation began “racial[ly] with the cameraman because he’s an African American male.”
Police said the man ordered the dog to attack, but it did not. Another witness described what they believed the attacker was trying to do: “I think he was trying to, again, intimidate him, make him scared by having the dog approach first.”
When one of the crew members defended himself from the dog, witnesses said the other two men in the tow truck jumped out. They described the men shouting at someone in the crew to leave the dog alone as the situation escalated.
One witness said the scene grew more chaotic than the men seemed to expect, saying, “I just feel like maybe the scene got more chaotic than they were expecting, and I feel like the only thing they thought to do was to just cause as much damage as they could and leave.”
After that, one of the men smashed the photographer’s camera. The other smashed the windshield of the news truck using a traffic cone before taking off. The reporter and photographer got away unharmed.
About 20 minutes after the incident, Chicago police arrested three people after a second, separate attack connected to the same tow truck. CPD said officers received reports about the occupants pointing a gun at people on the sidewalk near 42nd and Western in Brighton Park.
By the time officers caught up to the truck, the driver sped off. Eventually, all three occupants jumped out after crashing into a squad car, and police said a gun was recovered from the tow truck. Police said the gun was not pointed at the CBS crew.
A witness said, “We didn’t see any guns in that moment, but to know that it escalated to that or could of been that is just terrifying.”
In a statement, a CBS spokesperson said, “We are shocked and horrified by this crime and we are grateful that our journalists are safe.”
The investigation is ongoing, and charges are pending.
CBS News Chicago Adler Planetarium East Solidarity Drive tow truck attack racial slurs dog ordered to attack camera smashed windshield smashed Chicago police arrest Brighton Park gun recovered charges pending
Wow that’s crazy. Who lets tow truck guys do that.
Racial slurs?? That’s wild. I can’t even imagine being on a sidewalk and getting attacked right before going live. Chicago really needs to get it together.
So the dog didn’t bite and they still jumped them? Sounds like they were just trying to start something for the cameras (like clout) but then it went wrong. Also why was a dog there at all… like I feel like someone had to’ve planned that route. Not saying the reporters deserved it obviously.
Adler Planetarium of all places… like are these people even from Chicago or did they come in from the suburbs? I read somewhere that tow trucks are always involved in scams, so maybe it’s that? And the slurs aimed at the cameraman, so that’s definitely targeted. I don’t know if the dog part matters if it didn’t bite, but it still sounds like intimidation and that should be charged the max.