Man Throws Items, Heckles Baltimore Mayor Hopeful During Interview

BALTIMORE, MD — A news anchor abruptly ended a live interview with Baltimore mayoral candidate Sheila Dixon this week when a person inside Dixon's home began throwing items and heckling her during the chat.

Dixon, a former Baltimore mayor who is running to reclaim the top office in the 2024 Democratic primary, was speaking with WBFF Fox45 anchor Patrice Sanders on Wednesday when the incident took place. According to a Baltimore Banner report, Dixon appeared through a video call at her home to promote a public safety town hall hosted by the station.

While WBFF did not air the interview, footage of it circulated on social media. By Thursday afternoon, a TikTok video containing the interview had been viewed nearly 280,000 times and garnered more than 1,600 comments.

During the interview, Dixon spoke for about a minute before a man, who has not been identified, threw an article of clothing at her. Dixon continued speaking, flinching and repeatedly looking off-camera before another item was thrown at her.

A man then speaks to Dixon, though it's unclear what he says. The comments prompt Sanders to stop and ask, "There’s a lot of feedback there. Are you hearing my questions?"

"Yes," Dixon says and addresses a question about police accountability while the man continues to throw items and taunt her off-screen.

Sanders eventually ends the interview, stating, "We hear that you’re fighting through this, um, so we’re going to let you conserve your voice and we’ll see you tonight."

At Wednesday's town hall, WBFF reporter Mikenzie Frost asked Dixon for a comment and asked if "everything was okay," the Banner reported.

"Everything is okay," Dixon said, according to the Banner. "People are in pain. It’s the holiday, people are stressed. You know, we have challenges in the family, in your partnership and relationships. And sometimes people don’t know how to express their stress. So, I’m fine."

Responding to the video shared on TikTok, several commenters expressed concern for Dixon.

"This is so incredibly sad, I hope she gets safe soon," one person wrote.

"She needs help right now and the anchor never asked if she's ok....said she was fighting but didn't ask her if she was OK," another wrote.

"Looks like she needs to talk with police about her personal safety," a third person said.

Dixon announced her candidacy in September, nearly a decade after she was convicted of embezzlement for misusing gift cards that were donated to City Hall for charity. She resigned as Baltimore mayor in 2010 as part of a plea agreement in the corruption case, the Associated Press reported.

Additional perjury charges against her were later dropped. Dixon served four years probation and was also barred from seeking political office for two years.

Dixon will face current Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott in the Democratic primary. Scott is seeking a second term.