Ferguson: Reporters Arrested, Assaulted

Police Officer

Wesley Lowery, a Washington Post political reporter, and Ryan Reilly, a Huffingotn Post justice reporter, were arrested in a Ferguson MO McDonald's shortly before 8 pm ET Wednesday

According to reports, police entered and told patrons to leave. They then asked the reporters for their ID, and according to the reporters, arrested them because they weren't packing their bags fast enough

Lowery said when the officers came in and said they had to leave, he pulled his phone out and began recording video. "An officer with a large weapon came up to me and said, "Stop recording." I said, "Officer, do I not have the right to record you?" He backed off but told me to hurry up.

Lowery also said the police officers "assaulted" him. "Officers slammed me into a fountain soda machine because I was confused about which door they were asking me to walk out of," he tweeted. Lowery said he and Reilly were released without paperwork or charges and that the officers refused to provide the reporters with their names.


Reilly said he evidently wasn't packing his bag fast enough for the cops' liking and was given a 45 second countdown.  "He handcuffed me...he used his finger to put a pressure point on my neck."

"The worst part was he slammed my head against the glass purposely on the way out of the McDonald's then sarcastically apologized for it. ... The mentality of the officers was extremely disturbing."

Once at the police station, they were placed in a holding cell. No mug shots. They were held "for what felt like" 10 or 15 minutes. Then they were told they were free to go. They asked to see an arrest report and were told there wasn't one and that they wouldn't be provided with names of officers.

WaPo's Exec Editor Martin Baron called the behavior of the police "wholly unwarranted and an assault on the freedom of the press to cover the news. ... We are appalled by the conduct of the police officers involved."