A Czech television crew was allegedly robbed at gunpoint on Sunday while covering the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco.
Czech journalist Bohumil Vostal was filming the City Lights bookstore on Sunday night when three masked assailants allegedly approached him with guns drawn, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
“They were heading at my camera man, aiming a gun at his stomach, and one at my head,” Vostal told the outlet. The perpetrators made off with $18,000 worth of equipment along with video footage that the crew had collected throughout the day, according to the Chronicle.
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“I’m one of those many people who used to read Jack Kerouac’s ‘On the Road,’ and I was so much looking forward to visit your city,” Vostal told the outlet, adding that he immediately called 911 as the robbers fled in a sedan.
The cameraman went to Best Buy after the robbery to purchase replacement cables and news lights, the Chronicle noted. (RELATED: ‘ I Completely Reject The Premise Of Your Question’: Reporter Confronts Biden Adviser Over San Francisco Clean-Up)
Investigators are looking into the incident, and Democratic Mayor London Breed’s office said the city is working to support the victims, according to the report.
San Francisco rushed to beautify its streets by moving homeless people to other parts of the city and cleaning up trash and tent cities ahead of APEC and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s arrival. President Joe Biden is also traveling to APEC, which runs through Nov. 17.