Irony strikes: Chicago news crew reporting on robberies gets robbed

In an ironic twist of fate, a Chicago television crew reporting on a string of robberies was robbed at gunpoint by three men wearing ski masks. The incident happened on Monday (August 28th) just before 5am (local time) in Chicago's West Town neighbourhood.

What happened?

A news crew from Spanish-language station Univision Chicago was reporting in Chicago’s West Town neighbourhood.

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The reporter and a cameraperson were filming a story on robberies in the neighbourhood when three masked men brandishing firearms robbed them. The robbers took the news crew's television camera and other personal items.

Talking to Chicago Tribune, Luis Godinez, vice president of news at Univision Chicago, said: "They were approached with guns and robbed. Mainly it was personal items, and they took a camera".

As per Godinez, the news crew were covering a story about robberies in the neighbourhood. The story was supposed to air early on the morning news. However, the footage they had shot on robberies in West Town was also stolen along with the camera, and it never made it on-air.

What the police said

Chicago police said that the victims, 28-year-old man and 42-year-old man were outside when three masked men drove up to them in a grey sedan and a black SUV. After robbing the news crew, the robbers fled in their vehicles.

Police are yet to arrest anyone over the robbery. No injuries were reported.

To protect the privacy of the news crew, their names haven't been disclosed, said Godinez, adding: "They're OK, and we’re working on it together as a team."

Second TV crew robbery in a month

As per news agency AP, this was the second such robbery this month. Previously, on August 8th, a WLS-TV photographer was assaulted and robbed while covering a weekday afternoon news conference on Chicago's West Side.

National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians Local 41, which represents Chicago-based TV photographers, has issued a warning.

Raza Siddiqui, president of the union local, "Our news photographers and reporters provide a very important public service in keeping our community informed. We are committed to making sure that their safety comes first." He also told Chicago Sun-Times that some union affiliated news stations are planning to take additional safety steps like assigning security to some TV crews.