A television news crew was robbed at gunpoint in Oakland, California Friday afternoon in the latest case of aggravated crime against journalists in a city besieged by violence.
A news crew from San Francisco ABC affiliate KGO-TV was robbed of camera equipment while on assignment in West Oakland. The crew was held up at gunpoint but escaped uninjured.
The incident is the latest act of crime against television journalists working in Oakland. In May, thieves targeted a KGO-TV news van and stole camera equipment and personal items. Last November, a cameraman from CBS affiliate KPIX was injured during a live television report, and in June a thief stole a laptop from a news van belonging to FOX affiliate KTVU.
The rash of crime has prompted television stations to hire security guards to accompany journalists working on stories in Oakland. The San Francisco Chronicle reports a security guard was with the KGO-TV crew when they were held up at gunpoint on Friday.
The news crew was not identified, and station officials declined to comment.
