One of our photogs threatened with a pistol

[Justin]

For those of you who don't know, I work for an ABC affiliate. Yesterday some local yokel was arrested for setting off an artillery simulator in his backyard. Neighbors reported it as a big explosion, etc. The guy was arrested by the police.

Earlier this afternoon, one of our photographers was sent to the street where it happened to get some wallpaper footage of the location. He was on public property (the street) with a video camera, shooting some footage that would be used in the newscast this evening.

Then a guy comes out of the house, says a few choice words, points a pistol at the camera (and presumably our photog.) Then he brings the pistol down, racks the slide on it, and yells a few more choice words.

All of this was caught on camera. Only a small section of it was used for the actual broadcast. We didn't air the part where he actually pointed the gun or racked the slide. Now, I've hung out with this photog and he's a good guy, and it really hacks me off that some no-shirt-wearing, mullet-encrusted white-trash tool would do something like this.

 

[PinnedAndRecessed]

I know you called the police. Please tell me you called the police and the maggot was arrested for malicious threatening and brandishing a firearm.

 

[Hypnogator]

This only serves to illustrate that there are some people who just shouldn't be trusted with firearms. The major issue is, of course, separating them from their weapons without treading on the rights of the 99.9999+% of gun owners who use their weapons responsibly.

I don't have an answer to the larger issue, but in this particular instance, something can be done. Your cameraman should file a complaint with the local constabulary. Aggravated assault, which, from your description, this clearly is, is a felony. The case would be a slam-dunk, what with the boob doing it in front of a broadcast-quality video camera!

Let this dweeb try to convince a judge in, say, 5-7 years, that he is now responsible enough to own a firearm again!

 

[Justin]

I don't know if any actions have been taken. Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to talk to him since it happened. I've just seen the video. I consider it highly unlikely that the management of the station will actually do anything.

The photog, on the other hand, hopefully will. I'll talk to him tomorrow to get the rest of the story. But agreed, the idiot who threatened him needs to have a very unpleasant stay at the crossbar motel.

I would hope that he'd be able to find a lawyer who'd be willing to sue this jerk into indentured servitude in civil court as well.

 

[Mad Man]

This only serves to illustrate that there are some people who just shouldn't be trusted with firearms. The major issue is, of course, separating them from their weapons without treading on the rights of the 99.9999+% of gun owners who use their weapons responsibly.

Using the oft-cited figure of "80 million gun owners in America," 99.9999% of 80,000,000 is 79,999,920.

There are a lot more than 80 irresponsible gun owners in the United States.

 

[reagansquad]

80 million legal gun owners... How many gun crimes are committed every year by legal gun owners?

 

[c_yeager]

80 million legal gun owners... How many gun crimes are committed every year by legal gun owners?

A lot more than 80. And besides the 80million gun owners number doesnt necessarily mean 80million LEGAL gun owners anyways.

 

[forquidder]

Does your cameraman resemble Dan Rather by any chance?

 

[joab]

Look on the bright side Justin. Now he gets to show Big Bubba and his Band of Randy Rump Rangers how tough he is

 

[Mad Man]

Yesterday some local yokel was arrested for setting off an artillery simulator in his backyard.

Artillery simulator?

I hope it wasn't any of these guys.

Or these guys






Just kidding, of course. I've known billll for years. (Yes, that's him in both pictures).

 

[Rembrandt]

Justin, please don't take this wrong....but I've been around news folks and camera crews (national and local) enough to have a dislike for their intrusive behavior....perhaps a better analogy would be sharks in bloody water. I've seen them knock people down and push through crowds while flashing "press credentials" to get a story before the competitor does. Tasteless behavior second only to ambulance chasing attorneys.

Simply asking would the guy have come out if you hadn't been there? News media today has the unfortunate distinction of being hated, just like lawyers, used car salesmen, and telemarketers. Granted this "Bubba's" behavior was inexcuseable and he should be taken to task.

 

[Tory]

Infuriating, but hardly surprising.

"...it really hacks me off that some no-shirt-wearing, mullet-encrusted
white-trash tool would do something like this."

Seems EXACTLY what I would expect from some irresponsible piece of "mullet-encrusted white-trash"..............

The station is irrelevant. The CAMERAMAN was threatened; not some corporation. HE has the cause of action; HE was the victim; HE should have filed the complaint with the police. The only involvement for the station would have been to allow use of the video as evidence.

 

[MrMurphy]

I used to be a photog for an NBC affiliate.


What's he complaining about? Nothing new dude... I've been shot at in a marked media car just for being white in a black neighborhood after dark cause they think anybody white is either bad or a narc. Even with TV gear in my hands and a car with NBC splashed all over it. And i was usually there running tape on a fire or something non-criminal.

Having been one of two unarmed guys in a group full of body-armor-wearing and M4-packing people chasing a federal armed and dangerous fugitive an night, that was not a good feeling. No vest, no gun and I owned the gun just couldn't carry it at work (even with a CHL!) which ticked me off. And the marshals and cops weren't exactly worried about OUR safety even if we were the only LEO friendly reporter and photog in the city.

Tell the photog to get a new job if it bothers him.

 

[Edmond]

I consider it highly unlikely that the management of the station will actually do anything.

Seems like a lot of employers won't stand up for their employees. It's really unfortunate of what happened to him, he was just trying to do his job.

 

[Justin]

Rembrandt-

You're way off base. One photog setting up on a public street corner to pan across a scene for footage is hardly "sharks in bloody water."

I have no idea how the photog is going to react, or feels about the situation, as I haven't actually had a chance to ask him about it.

 

[Pocomoke]

Perhaps you could restate concisely exactly what happened.

As I understand it:

Your video guy went back to the neighborhood to film "wallpaper". So this was for a voice over of yesterday's news.

A local was caught on film brandishing a weapon, racking a slide, an using bad language while threatening the video guy who I assume was solo judging from your account.

A portion of the video was later broadcast but without the brandishment and threat.

You weren't present went this happened, but relay this as heresay.

Why does it seem so unlikely that an ABC affiliate would not have loudly an repeatedly pressed charges against the armed local? After all the video guy and the station have taped proof to substantiate the charges?

I suspect that your friend/co-worker isn't being quite honest with you as to all that transpired, but I may be mistaken.

I assume that you've seen all the raw footage before you posted this.

Don't take offense at my questions please. I think we've all seen and heard various pols and interest groups alleging that they've received death threats and yet there never seems to be any substantiate of these nor news of investigative follow-ups much less arrests

 

[Justin]

Your video guy went back to the neighborhood to film "wallpaper". So this was for a voice over of yesterday's news.

Yes. Basically just video that would play while the anchor would read about the events that transpired regarding the previous night's detonation of an artillery simulator and the consequent appearing of the police followed by an arrest. I have no idea if the person in the house was actually the one who set the simulator off or not, and we said so on air.

A local was caught on film brandishing a weapon, racking a slide, an using bad language while threatening the video guy who I assume was solo judging from your account.

Yes, that's what I saw in the video. Mr. Mulletude opens the door, points the pistol, racks the slide, and swears a lot.

A portion of the video was later broadcast but without the brandishment and threat.

We only broadcast the bit with the swearing and threatening.

You weren't present went this happened, but relay this as heresay.

No, I work in the production control dept. They don't let me out of the dark room with all of the tv screens, lest I scare the public. All I'm relating at this point is the video that I've seen. As mentioned before, I haven't actually talked to the photog in questions.

Why does it seem so unlikely that an ABC affiliate would not have loudly an repeatedly pressed charges against the armed local?

In the interest of civility, I won't talk smack about my employer on a public bulletin board.

After all the video guy and the station have taped proof to substantiate the charges?

I'm not a lawyer, but yeah, I would tend to think that this would be a slam-dunk conviction on assault at the very least.

I suspect that your friend/co-worker isn't being quite honest with you as to all that transpired, but I may be mistaken.

Like I said, I haven't talked to him, but he's a trustworthy fellow.

I assume that you've seen all the raw footage before you posted this.

I assume so. I've definately seen more than what was broadcast. Judging by the angle the video was shot at and the framing of the shot he's quite obviously across the street from the house. To take a guess, I'd assume he's twenty yards or more. (But that's a total guess on my part.)

Don't take offense at my questions please. I think we've all seen and heard various pols and interest groups alleging that they've received death threats and yet there never seems to be any substantiate of these nor news of investigative follow-ups much less arrests

None taken, there's a lot of that sort of thing floating around the web. In the photog's defense, however, I'll say that I've posted this thread without his knowledge or consent. So I'm not acting as a mouthpiece for him or anything like that. For all I know his reaction to the whole thing is just as blasé as MrMurphy's. I simply witnessed some video yesterday that torqued me off as a gun owner.

 

[Old Dog]

I'm somewhat disheartened that anyone would try to rationalize this jerk's behavior simply because some elements of the media "are intrusive" and "demonstrate tasteless behavior." Does this means that it's open season on anyone connected with the media? If so, our cause is irretrievably lost because unless we figure out a way to deal with the media in a consistently calm, logical and mature manner, no one will ever see gun-owners as anything but knuckledragging, unkempt, uneducated losers.

 

[Rembrandt]

Old Dog, afraid you're reading more into my post than was put there....I'm not condoning the behavior of "Bubba the Redneck" because the media had it coming.

Having worked with electronic and print media people my overall impression of their profession is not flattering. That is a seperate point from what the mans motivation was.

I question why the guy felt compelled to pull a gun? Does he do this to everyone who stands accross the street with a camera? Maybe the camera didn't have a thing to do with it. Something stirred him up to cross the street and do what he did. Could be the guy is a genuine nut case....I can't help but wonder if there's more to the story.

 

[Andrew Rothman]

Unless you are highly suspicious of a workin' guy -- a cameraman, fer Pete's sake, not a network talking head -- you have to go with Occam's Razor here: The guy's a nutball.

 

[Pocomoke]

Justin
Thanks for the additional details.

Is/has the video guy going to file a complaint?

I agree that any idiot who brandishes a weapon Gun or otherwise and threatens in that manner needs to take his lumps.

 

[dinosaur]

You know how we get stories and posts here about SWAT Teams overreacting against some poor innnocent gun owner? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that if this "nutball" is stoopid enough to stand in the middle of the street and point a gun at someone pointing a running video camera in his direction, better call the Marines.

 

[Justin]

Ok, here's the latest update. The video tape was submitted to the police who then went to the house to arrest Mulletjerk.

Upon arriving at the house, apparently he was nowhere to be found.

This could get interesting.

 

[Standing Wolf]

We didn't air the part where he actually pointed the gun or racked the slide.

I'd have given him the publicity.

 

[Hypnogator]

Using the oft-cited figure of "80 million gun owners in America," 99.9999% of 80,000,000 is 79,999,920.

There are a lot more than 80 irresponsible gun owners in the United States.

OK, OK, so I probably got carried away with the "9" key.

Betcha that figure's accurate for the number of irresponsible gun owners stupid enough to do that in front of a TV camera!