Czech Television Journalists Robbed at Gunpoint During APEC Summit Coverage in Crime-Ridden San Francisco

In an alarming reflection of the escalating crime rates plaguing the Democrat-run San Francisco, Czech Republic journalists found themselves the latest victims of the city’s lawlessness.

The victims, part of a Czech Republic public television crew, were recording near the iconic City Lights bookstore on Sunday evening when they were accosted by armed assailants, KTVU reported.

According to the San Francisco Police Department, the incident occurred at 4:56 p.m. near Broadway and Columbus Avenue. Three men with firearms exited from a vehicle and demanded the journalists’ production equipment, to which the victims, under duress, complied.

While the San Francisco Police Department has yet to officially confirm the victims’ identities as journalists, Bohumil Vostal, a reporter for the Czech television station ČT24, identified himself as one of the robbed individuals.

In a statement on social media, Vostal expressed gratitude for the support received and reaffirmed the team’s commitment to continue their coverage of the summit, which includes the anticipated meeting between Joe Biden and communist Xi Jinping.

FOX News reported:

Journalist Bohumil Vostal told the San Francisco Chronicle he was getting a shot of City Lights Bookstore “when three masked assailants approached with guns pointed.”

“They were heading at my camera man, aiming a gun at his stomach, and one at my head,” Vostal said. He added the incident happened around 5 p.m. Sunday.

The San Francisco Police Department confirmed to KTVU FOX 2 it is investigating an armed robbery of a production team in the area of Broadway and Columbus Avenue.

Officers told the media outlet a vehicle stopped on the street, three armed men exited the car and approached the group prior to demanding their production equipment. The news crew complied, reportedly losing more than $18,000 worth of equipment and footage from a day wandering the Golden City.

The suspects then got back in their vehicle and took off.

The robbery starkly illustrates the normalcy of such violence in San Francisco, where local stations have found it necessary to deploy armed guards to accompany their reporters, a measure that was unheard of in years past and now speaks volumes about the deteriorating security situation that locals and visitors alike are forced to navigate.

As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, China’s communist dictator Xi Jinping is set to visit San Francisco this week for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, and the city, notorious for its homeless encampments and street-level drug issues thanks to the Democrats, has somehow finally managed to remove the homeless and clean up the streets.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, in a press conference Thursday, admitted that the clean-up was indeed aimed at pleasing “fancy leaders” visiting for the summit.

“I know folks say, ‘Oh, they’re just cleaning up this place because all these fancy leaders are coming into town.’ That’s true because it’s true,” said Newsom.

The underlying truth is that the Democrats have always had the capacity to clean up the city , but their actions suggest a different set of priorities. The safety and well-being of the general population are secondary concerns with the Democrats.

After San Francisco was magically cleaned up ahead of Xi Jinping’s visit, Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom says:

“I know folks say, ‘Oh, they’re just cleaning up this place because all these fancy leaders are coming into town.’ That’s true because it’s true.” pic.twitter.com/gMaKBtRq5f

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 13, 2023