TV reporter harassed, camera damaged while reporting in California

KNVN reporter Nathan Espindula’s news camera was damaged when a man harassed him with racial slurs while he was reporting in Chico, California, on Sept. 4, 2025, the television station reported.

Espindula had just finished a live segment around 6 a.m. when a man approached, threatening him and shouting racist terms for a Hispanic individual.

“I started hearing someone yelling slurs at me, and as soon as I noticed that, I ran into the car and locked the car,” Espindula told KNVN. “And then the individual approached me, yelling and going across the car.”

Espindula said the man threatened to find out where he lives and continued shouting racist and profane insults, which Espindula recorded on his phone. His camera equipment was damaged during the incident.

Espindula did not respond to a U.S. Press Freedom Tracker request for comment. But as a fellow reporter noted on the station’s account of the incident, “What began as a routine live report on a community event turned into a frightening confrontation for one of our colleagues.”

The suspect, identified as Kiano Sen Saechao, has pleaded not guilty to a felony civil rights violation for the property damage, which is classified as a hate crime, according to Butte County court records.

A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for Sept. 25.