A Fox News reporter is currently surrounded by thugs in the Seattle CHOP zone (formerly known as CHAZ). He was leaving the zone in his SUV with armed security guards but protesters blocked his way out and surrounded him:
#BREAKING: Protestors inside #CHOP surround a vehicle protected by private security just outside the zone.
They say the man inside is a reporter and shoved a protestor along with verbal abuse.
They won’t let the car go. The security is armed. Protestors are armed.@NBCNews pic.twitter.com/tvbuYnqzlu
— Steve Patterson (@PattersonNBC) June 29, 2020
#BREAKING: This is tense.
Protestors have a car surrounded in #CHOP after they say the man inside shoved a female protestor.
They’re demanding an apology.
They’ve now errected a barrier in front of the car. Security is standing guard. Protestors say he’s a reporter. @NBCNews pic.twitter.com/WzcWHw8dq2
— Steve Patterson (@PattersonNBC) June 29, 2020
After not being allowed to continue, the reporter just got out and started walking. Protesters aren’t letting him leave:
#DEVELOPING: So the man that was in that car got out and started walking away from #CHOP.
Protestors followed, swarming. Again, they say he’s an #FNC reporter and that he shoved a female protestor.
He said nothing in response. They walked several city blocks. @NBCNews pic.twitter.com/6QQBy7mjxY
— Steve Patterson (@PattersonNBC) June 29, 2020
I don’t know his name but I definitely recognize him as a Fox News reporter. This isn’t the safest place to be as there was another deadly shooting in the zone last night.
UPDATE: The reporter’s name is Dan Springer with Fox News.
UPDATE II: It looks like Springer finally got away unscathed:
#UPDATE: #CHOP Protestors tell me he was followed all the way to the West Precinct on foot. About a mile away. No physical incident occurred. No one injured.
They wanted an apology for what they say happened: A shove and non-racial slur.
He reportedly said nothing. @NBCNews pic.twitter.com/0fzAvSzPFC
— Steve Patterson (@PattersonNBC) June 29, 2020
UPDATE III: Here’s the official statement from Fox News, attributed to Nancy Harmeyer, Vice President of Domestic Bureaus & LA Bureau Chief, FOX News:
“While covering the news just outside of Seattle’s CHOP zone this morning, a protestor confronted FOX News Channel correspondent Dan Springer and his crew after overhearing him cancel a live report due to ‘filthy language’ in the background. The protestor started yelling at him and threw a cup of coffee in his face and on his jacket. Attempting to de-escalate the situation, the crew returned to their vehicle, which was then surrounded by protestors. Unable to drive away, the crew turned the car off and walked away from the scene. At no point during the situation did the FOX News crew ever physically instigate or retaliate in any way against the protestors.”
I’m glad Springer got out of there and was able to finally walk away.