CBS Chicago news crew attacked near Adler Planetarium

Bizarre attack brings attention to safety of news crews in the field 

A news crew from CBS-owned WBBM-TV were attacked near the Adler Planetarium on Monday by three men. 

The crew were were prepping for a live shot from the South Loop landmark before 4:30 p.m. when a white tow truck pulled up and three men were seen getting out of the truck and shouted racial slurs. One of the assailants ordered a dog to attack the crew, but declined, so the men vandalized the news van, shattering the front windshield when an orange traffic cone and damaged a news camera, causing over $100,000 in damage. The crew, which consisted of a cameraman (who is Black) and a reporter, were not harmed.

The three men sped off in their tow truck, but were later spotted in the Brighton Park neighborhood, aiming a gun at pedestrians. Police noticed, and found the tow truck driving erratically , and led the three on a brief chase before crashing their vehicle at 36th and California and were taken into custody. They were in court Thursday to be arraigned

The three men who were charged were: Jon Twist, 37; Rafael Salinas, 29; and William Hureta, 41. Twist was charged with a hate crime and criminal damage to property; all three have extensive criminal records, with Hureta serving six years in prison for aggravated battery with a firearm. They were ordered detained by a judge Thursday. 

Video later released show one of the men carrying an assault rifle; it was found outside the truck when the men were arrested. 

“There is no place for violence, intimidation, or hate. The safety of our journalists is non-negotiable, and we remain committed to ensuring they can do their jobs without fear or threat,” said CBS Chicago and WWJ-TV Detroit GM Jennifer Lyons, who runs both stations for the CBS News And Stations Group. She said she was “deeply disturbed about the attacks on our colleagues.”

The National Association of Black Journalists also weighed in, stating: “This attack underscores the very real risks journalists continue to face and reinforces the need for all of us to stand together in defense of a free and independent press,” said Chicago Chapter President Brandon Pope said.

The incident received considerable play in Chicago press circles, with CBS Chicago’s competitors reporting on the story.

This incident comes as journalists are increasingly being attacked around the globe, and especially in America. In January, ABC 7 reporter Leah Hope was attacked by a assailant in her car near the station on State Street.

Nearly a decade ago, several news crews in the San Francisco Bay Area were robbed of their equipment – even on-air. In August 2023, a Univision Chicago (WGBO) news truck was robbed in the early-morning hours at Division and Milwaukee and an ABC 7 crew was robbed on the West Side. In 2020, several news crews were attacked across the country during the George Floyd unrest. 

Last year, a CBS Chicago reporter was in her car when ICE threw a gas canister in it while covering the unrest outside the agency’s detention center in west Suburban Broadview.

In July 1990, an unidentified local TV Black camerman was on the receiving end of racial slurs while covering a tense Village Board meeting in southwest suburban Oak Lawn over whether or not to censure a trustee who made racially disparaging remarks about Black people on Chicago’s South Side. Oak Lawn, which at the time was 96 percent white, has since become more diverse.