A WGN-TV employee was detained by two Border Patrol officers and later released after being mobbed by federal agents at a busy intersection in Chicago Friday morning.
WGN is not naming the employee, who works in the station’s creative services department, because the station’s policy requires it to blur faces and not identify people who have not been accused of a crime.
Witnesses at the site, who captured the incident on video, spoke to WGN, a local news station owned by Nexstar Media, about the moments leading up to the employee’s detention.
Witness Josh Thomas, who lives in a condo above the scene in the city’s Lincoln Square neighborhood, said, “I heard screaming and honking. I ran down to see what was happening. It looked like Border Patrol agents in a minivan had thrown some woman to the ground. And so, I went over to her and asked her her name. She said she was a WGN employee. Was.”
Thomas said that when he arrived at the scene around 8:30 a.m., he realized that another man was already detained inside the minivan that was being used. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agent.
“I couldn’t get his name, even though I asked for his name,” Thomas said. “She didn’t speak very good English. She claimed the WGN employee was obstructing justice, while she was just standing there and taking video, like the rest of us.”
Giordana Mahan told WGN-TV She was in a cab on the way to the airport when she also captured the scene.
“She was driving east. We were driving west, and that’s when I pulled out my phone. They just tackled her and brought her down the street. That’s when I asked her, ‘What’s your name?'” Mahan said.
According to a statement from Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the WGN employee, who is also a U.S. citizen, allegedly threw objects at the Border Patrol car. According to WGN-TV, he was arrested for assault on a federal law enforcement officer, but was later released without charges.
In an area filled with condos, apartments and concerned neighbors, Thomas described the scene Friday as heartbreaking.
“It’s terrifying for the community. When I came back to my condo, my son was crying and asked me what was going on and if people were going to come get him,” Thomas said.
Mahan shared his sentiments, regretting his fear for the community.
“I’m scared for my community. I’m scared for anyone who is black or brown. You’ll see in the video, WGN [employee] Wasn’t black or brown…they are terrorizing anyone. Everyone in Chicago.”
WGN-TV The process of locating and obtaining video showing the moments leading up to the employee’s detention is still ongoing. WGN-TV It was also revealed that the Border Patrol released the employee from federal custody by 3 p.m. Friday.
