Live: Two SF TV News Crews Robbed At Gunpoint

Two Bay Area news crews were robbed at gunpoint and a camera operator was pistol-whipped on live TV Thursday while they were reporting on a homicide in San Francisco, according to The LA Times.

Alleged Perp

Part of the robbery was captured on air, showing a man hitting KNTV-TV camera operator Alan Waples with a gun.

Video shows the gunman approach Waples and put a gun to his head while reporter Kris Sanchez pleads for him not to shoot, the Chronicle reported.

Waples was flung to the ground and struck with the gun. San Francisco police say Waples suffered a head injury.

According to KNTV-TV, the cameraman’s ear was cut.

The gunman and two other men fled the scene in a black BMW with the crews’ cameras and tripods, police said.

The TV crews were reporting on the death of a 31-year-old woman who was found lying on the pier at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Bandits tartgeting TV News Crew have been a growing concern for several years. Bay Area news crews have recently stepped up their security because of a string of thefts targeting them.