A CBS Chicago crew was attacked while preparing for a live shot in Chicago. Witnesses say it was racially motivated

Three people are in custody after two CBS News Chicago journalists were reportedly attacked Monday afternoon while on assignment near the Adler Planetarium. It’s said that a reporter and a photographer were approached by three men, one of whom had a dog, before the crew’s news truck and equipment were damaged.

Witnesses told the outlet that a white tow truck pulled up as the crew was preparing for a live shot for the second half of the 4 p.m. newscast, and that the dog was allegedly ordered to intimidate or attack the crew, though it did not obey the commands, according to witness accounts.

Witnesses said the attack appeared to be racially motivated, saying slurs were directed at the photographer, who is an African American man. “I think it’s a hate crime,” one witness said. “I believe anybody that uses a racial slur is committing a hate crime.”

Witnesses say racial slurs were directed at the photographer during the confrontation

Another witness, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons, said he and his wife saw the crew setting up before the incident began. He said he saw a dog, which he described as a German Shepherd, running toward them. “And then the guy was yelling at his dog to attack. He was throwing racial slurs [N-word] at the cameraman and then he started kicking his dog,” the witness said.

The same witness said he and his wife tried to defuse the situation but stepped back after the photographer allegedly hit one of the attackers with a folding stool. “And he swung it and hit the guy in the head. And he was unfazed. Like, he got hit hard by that chair,” he said.

Then he added, “For good reason, and it didn’t even, like, flinch him, and I think he hit him again, if I remember correctly, he hit him again and he’s still unflinched, and I’m like, this guy is, like. He’s on something. He’s gotta be,” he said. Both the reporter and the photographer were unharmed, according to the report.

Police said the same three people, traveling in the same tow truck, were arrested less than half an hour later after allegedly pointing weapons at people in the Brighton Park neighborhood. “We didn’t see any guns in that moment, but to know that it escalated to that, or it could have been that, is just terrifying,” another witness said.

CBS News Chicago found an image showing a gun, posted on social media a few hours before the attack, was reportedly linked to a man believed to be one of the suspects. As of writing, none of the suspects had been formally charged, with charges described as pending at that time.

A review of the three men’s backgrounds reportedly found that each had a previous violent charge connected to using a tow truck in another crime. The report says that one man had an active arrest warrant at the time of the incident, while a second man had an order of protection filed against him for allegedly threatening to burn down a woman’s home and breaking windows while children were present. 

It’s also said that, the third man was previously sentenced to six years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for aggravated battery with a firearm. Employers have also faced scrutiny over how they respond after a slur becomes public, such as in a separate case where a manager’s response to a slur complaint drew criticism online.

CBS News Chicago legal analyst Irv Miller said the Cook County state’s attorney’s office is likely considering a hate crime charge, since it may be the only detainable offense available in connection with the incident near the planetarium. “Aggravated assault is a misdemeanor. However, if hate crime is also added, that makes hate crime a felony, which, by the way, makes it a detainable offense under the Pretrial Safety Act,” Miller said.

Miller also said that because three people were involved, it could be harder for prosecutors to determine who did what and how each person should be charged. As of the report, no charges had been formally filed, and the investigation into the incident remained ongoing. Racial slurs directed at Black individuals have drawn public backlash in other incidents as well, including a Virginia fast food worker fired over a slur.