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A CNN reporter was arrested live on air while covering the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis

Minneapolis police arrest CNN reporter live on air
Minnesota state police arrested the CNN reporter Omar Jimenez on live TV early Friday.

CNN

  • A CNN reporter was arrested on live TV early Friday while covering the protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

  • Omar Jimenez was filmed being handcuffed and led away by Minnesota State Patrol officers at 5:11 a.m. local time. He was let go and returned on the air about an hour later.

  • Jimenez is black. Another CNN reporter on the scene, who is white, said he met no police resistance during his reporting.

  • CNN said in a statement that Jimenez and his team had identified themselves as journalists before their arrest.

  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

A CNN reporter was arrested on live TV early Friday as he broadcast from the protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The reporter, Omar Jimenez, who is black, was handcuffed and led away by Minnesota State Patrol officers at 5:11 a.m. local time. He was let go and seen back on air an hour later.

"In the course of clearing the streets and restoring order at Lake Street and Snelling Avenue, four people were arrested by State Patrol troopers, including three members of a CNN crew," the Minnesota State Patrol said on Twitter. "The three were released once they were confirmed to be members of the media."

In the minutes before the arrest, Jimenez could be heard asking the officers where they wanted him and his "New Day" camera crew to stand and offering to move back.

"Put us back where you want us. We were getting out of your way," Jimenez said, adding that he and his crew were "live on the air at the moment."

Jimenez then began to describe what he was seeing but stopped as two officers cuffed him and told him he was under arrest.

A CNN producer and a camera operator were also placed in handcuffs and led away. The camera was placed on the ground, and CNN continued to broadcast the footage. You can watch it here.

Another CNN reporter there, Josh Campbell, who is white, told the network he had met no police resistance while covering the protests.

"You, Josh Campbell, are white. Omar Jimenez is not," the "New Day" anchor John Berman said.

CNN said in a statement that Jimenez and his crew had identified themselves as journalists before they were arrested and called for their immediate release.

"A CNN reporter & his production team were arrested this morning in Minneapolis for doing their jobs, despite identifying themselves — a clear violation of their First Amendment rights," the network said.

Read Insider's live updates on the protests in Minneapolis »

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