Minnesota Police Hit Photojournalist with Non-Lethal Round (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A Minnesota CBS photographer was violently wrestled to the ground and handcuffed by heavily armed officers despite clearly identifying himself as a journalist.
The coercive action was caught on film.
Tom Aviles was covering the brewing unrest in South Minneapolis, the focus of nationwide rallies for George Floyd, a local African American who died at the hands of police. The footage provided by WCCO, a local CBS branch, shows members of the Minnesota State Patrol, equipped with riot gear, clearing a street and moving in his direction, RT reported.
“I’m not fighting! I’m not fighting!” the journalist is heard saying repeatedly.
WCCO wrote that Aviles, an award-winning veteran photojournalist, was also hit by what was described as “a non-lethal round.” He was covering the demonstrations with the station’s news producer Joan Gilbertson, who told the station that officers said, “You’ve been warned – the same thing will happen to you. You’re next.”
Aviles was released after spending several hours in police custody.
Protests have been raging in Minneapolis for the fifth day in a row, following the killing of Floyd. City authorities imposed a nighttime curfew on Friday and activated the National Guard to enforce it.
Many protesters violated the restrictions, however, engaging in confrontations with the guardsmen and riot squads.