Radio Free never accepts money from corporations, governments or billionaires – keeping the focus on supporting independent media for people, not profits. Since 2010, Radio Free has supported the work of thousands of independent journalists, learn more about how your donation helps improve journalism for everyone.

Make a monthly donation of any amount to support independent media.





Broadcast journalist sprayed with chemical irritant by armed individual during Olympia protest

An unidentified videojournalist for Washington state public broadcaster TVW was threatened and sprayed with a chemical irritant by an armed individual while covering a demonstration in Olympia, Washington, on Jan. 6, 2021.The protest that day, which st…

An unidentified videojournalist for Washington state public broadcaster TVW was threatened and sprayed with a chemical irritant by an armed individual while covering a demonstration in Olympia, Washington, on Jan. 6, 2021.

The protest that day, which started at the Capitol, migrated to the Governor’s Mansion and grew increasingly aggressive as the afternoon wore on, was one of several held by supporters of President Donald Trump around the country, organized as the U.S. Congress was set to confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory.

KOMO News reported that around noon, an individual carrying an assault-type rifle sprayed two members of the media with what court documents identified as bear spray near the intersection of 11th Avenue and Capitol Way South. The documents reportedly said the spray “caused bodily harm and incapacitated both victims for hours.”

The Seattle Times, citing charging documents, reported that the man had first approached a freelance photojournalist, telling him to leave the area and that the media wasn’t welcome at the demonstration. When the journalist refused, “the man sprayed his face and camera lens with bear spray, disorienting and blinding the photographer,” according to the Times.

Soon after, the armed man quickly came up on the TVW videojournalist, yelling repeatedly for the journalist to “get the [expletive] out of here,” the Times reported. The videojournalist crossed the street, only to once again be approached by the man, this time from behind. When the journalist turned, the man sprayed him in the face. The journalist then returned to his office to seek aid from his co-workers and was reportedly incapacitated for over two hours, the Olympian reported.

The same individual allegedly threatened two other journalists as well. The Tracker documented the multiple assaults in Olympia here.

The Washington State Patrol said in a press release on Jan. 19 that Damon Huseman, a 26-year-old resident of Seattle, had been taken into police custody without incident and was being booked at the Thurston County Jail on charges of second-degree assault, felony harassment and criminal trespass in connection with the events of Jan. 6.

According to the Seattle Times, Huseman had a preliminary court appearance on Jan. 20 and was ordered to remain in custody in lieu of $50,000 bail. The judge also ordered Huseman to have no contact with the journalists he’s accused of targeting or the Capitol campus.

The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker is documenting multiple incidents involving journalists, including assaults, arrests and equipment damage, from Jan. 6. All of our election-related coverage can be found here.


This content originally appeared on U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: All Incidents and was authored by U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: All Incidents.


Print Share Comment Cite Upload Translate Updates

Leave a Reply

APA

U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: All Incidents | Radio Free (2021-01-22T17:49:58+00:00) Broadcast journalist sprayed with chemical irritant by armed individual during Olympia protest. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2021/01/22/broadcast-journalist-sprayed-with-chemical-irritant-by-armed-individual-during-olympia-protest/

MLA
" » Broadcast journalist sprayed with chemical irritant by armed individual during Olympia protest." U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: All Incidents | Radio Free - Friday January 22, 2021, https://www.radiofree.org/2021/01/22/broadcast-journalist-sprayed-with-chemical-irritant-by-armed-individual-during-olympia-protest/
HARVARD
U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: All Incidents | Radio Free Friday January 22, 2021 » Broadcast journalist sprayed with chemical irritant by armed individual during Olympia protest., viewed ,<https://www.radiofree.org/2021/01/22/broadcast-journalist-sprayed-with-chemical-irritant-by-armed-individual-during-olympia-protest/>
VANCOUVER
U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: All Incidents | Radio Free - » Broadcast journalist sprayed with chemical irritant by armed individual during Olympia protest. [Internet]. [Accessed ]. Available from: https://www.radiofree.org/2021/01/22/broadcast-journalist-sprayed-with-chemical-irritant-by-armed-individual-during-olympia-protest/
CHICAGO
" » Broadcast journalist sprayed with chemical irritant by armed individual during Olympia protest." U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: All Incidents | Radio Free - Accessed . https://www.radiofree.org/2021/01/22/broadcast-journalist-sprayed-with-chemical-irritant-by-armed-individual-during-olympia-protest/
IEEE
" » Broadcast journalist sprayed with chemical irritant by armed individual during Olympia protest." U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: All Incidents | Radio Free [Online]. Available: https://www.radiofree.org/2021/01/22/broadcast-journalist-sprayed-with-chemical-irritant-by-armed-individual-during-olympia-protest/. [Accessed: ]
rf:citation
» Broadcast journalist sprayed with chemical irritant by armed individual during Olympia protest | U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: All Incidents | Radio Free | https://www.radiofree.org/2021/01/22/broadcast-journalist-sprayed-with-chemical-irritant-by-armed-individual-during-olympia-protest/ |

Please log in to upload a file.




There are no updates yet.
Click the Upload button above to add an update.

You must be logged in to translate posts. Please log in or register.