Photographer Beaten by Police, TV Producer Robbed at Baltimore Demonstrations

A photographer for the Baltimore City Paper said he was beaten and nearly arrested Sunday after a rock was thrown at police officers outside the western district headquarters.

Also overnight, an international TV producer said she was robbed by a group of young men, caught on video.

The incidents were two of several accounts of mayhem connected to the demonstrations around the city that followed a 5 p.m. rally Saturday in the name of Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old man whose April 19 death in police custody has sparked public outcry. After hours of peaceful demonstrations, some turned violent as night set in.

Approximately 34 people were arrested; six police officers were injured; and several storefronts, police vehicles and pieces of property were damaged, Baltimore Police said in a statement Sunday morning.

City Paper Photo Editor J.M. Giordano reported that at approximately 12:30 a.m. on Sunday, a rock hit a police shield and officers in riot gear “swarmed over me” outside the western district and “were hitting me, then someone pulled me out,” according to the City Paper.

A Reuters photographer who had been standing next to Giordano was arrested and cited for disorderly conduct, according to the City Paper.

A producer for Ruptly, an international TV station, was robbed of her handbag by a group of youths on camera as she filmed the demonstrations.

“The producer gave chase to the suspected thief before police intervened,” according to Ruptly.

Baltimore Police said additional officers would be stationed throughout the city for the remainder of the weekend.

• Scenes Of Unrest At Baltimore’s Freddie Gray Protests
• Maryland State Troopers Arrive in Baltimore for Backup Amid Rallies
• Twin Sister of Freddie Gray: ‘Please Stop the Violence’
• Thousands In Baltimore Put On Lockdown As Freddie Gray Protests Turn Violent

Screenshot from Ruptly/YouTube.