CNN reporter Omar Jimenez is speaking out after he was released from police custody following his unexpected arrest while on-air covering the heated protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
In the early morning of Friday, Jimenez along with his crew members were arrested, as IJR reported. The police said that the CNN crew was told to move and they did not, as the reason for the arrest.
However, the Minnesota governor quickly responded following his discussion with CNN’s president and called the arrest “totally unacceptable” and “totally inadvertent.”
The crew was released within roughly an hour after the incident. There have been days of protests over the death of George Floyd, who died in police custody after being arrested and having his neck pinned down by an officer’s knee.
In case you missed it:
Minnesota police arrest CNN reporter and camera crew as they report from protests in Minneapolis https://t.co/oZdqBti776 pic.twitter.com/3QbeTjD5ed
— CNN (@CNN) May 29, 2020
On CNN after his release, Jimenez spoke about the arrest and what happened.
“It did cross my mind that what is really happening here,” Jimenez said. “The one thing that gave me a little bit of comfort was that it happened on live TV.”
“When you talk within the community about, let’s just say what’s happened with George Floyd, there’s always a discussion that what’s happening isn’t new, it’s being filmed, and that speaks to the power of having something happen on camera.”
“You guys saw what was happening, I was living what was happening, and the country was seeing what was happening unfold in real-time, right before their eyes,” he said.
As CNN notes, Jimenez, who is black and latino, was arrested while CNN journalist Josh Campbell, who is white, was also on the grounds in Minneapolis a few blocks away but was not arrested.
See his comments below:
CNN’s @OmarJimenez and his crew have been released from police custody. He recounts getting arrested and what happened while they were in custody. https://t.co/v3kMq77Oro pic.twitter.com/JoqmwlTc5i
— CNN (@CNN) May 29, 2020
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison also told CNN on Friday that he anticipates “there will be charges” against the four police officers — who were since fired — involved in Floyd’s death.
“I hope they’re soon. But that is the prerogative of another prosecuting authority. They are trying to be careful. They are trying to make sure their case is strong and air tight,” Ellison said.
The Minnesota attorney general added, “Everybody believes that this is a violation of Mr. Floyd. And I believe that everybody wants to see these charges filed as soon as they can be. But again, I do want to say we have seen cases that seem so clear go south.”