Apparently it’s not safe to go near the scene of the crime where there is a memorial to Michael Brown’s body, as a freelance reporter found out last night who was robbed at gunpoint by a group of thugs:
RFT – The site of Michael Brown’s killing has become particularly dangerous for media members in the last 24 hours. A crew of four freelance journalists was robbed at gunpoint this evening around 8 p.m. as they tried to film a segment at the Canfield Drive memorial.
Emily Molli, a freelancer filing for Chinese network Xinhua News Agency, said she was standing behind the camera while her colleague Marcus DiPaola was filming. She said she saw a large group of young men wearing masks and carrying guns walk towards them.
“They got closer and then I heard them say, ‘Turn the camera off, turn the camera off,” Molli told Daily RFT. “They came sort of at us and tried to grab the camera.”
The crew packed up and began walking to their car, but Molli and DiPaola said the men followed them, yelling. The reporters managed to make it inside their Prius before the group caught up and began smashing the windows.
“One guy pulled [the car door] back open, got a gun out of his backpack and pointed it at my head. He tells me to get out of the car and give me the keys,” said Molli. “That’s what I did.”
“Fifteen to twenty males followed us with guns and hammers out,” confirmed DiPaola. “Every single one of them had masks on.”
DiPaola, Molli and their colleagues escaped on foot, and said they were saved by a church group who just happened to be in the neighborhood delivering Thanksgiving turkeys. The church group helped take them to a police checkpoint, which is where they were when Daily RFT spoke to them.
DiPaola and Molli said a large video camera, their car keys and their wallets were taken.
DiPaola sent out this warning to other journalists via Twitter:
All reporters: PLEASE DO NOT GO TO CANFIELD MEMORIAL. Was attacked and robbed at gunpoint.
— Marcus DiPaola (@MJDiPaola) November 26, 2014
(h/t: Breitbart)