A Chicago television news crew reporting on a string of robberies ended up robbed themselves after they were accosted at gunpoint by three armed men wearing ski masks.
Spanish-language station Univision Chicago said a reporter and photographer were filming just before 5 a.m. Monday in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood when three masked men brandishing firearms robbed them, taking their television camera and other items.
“They were approached with guns and robbed. Mainly it was personal items, and they took a camera,” Luis Godinez, vice president of news at Univision Chicago, told the Chicago Tribune.
Where tf are they going to fence a news station camera??
They can be broken down and sold for individual parts. I’m sure it will end up on Craigslist.
I really don’t know about that. It’s a $20,000 camera probably, but there is a good chance the rig itself is likely 10 years old, so the lens is likely the only thing they could make a few hundred off of, but that isn’t enough for a 3 man job.
I suspect robbing a journalist and taking their camera is to make their name known. They probably ditched the camera pretty close to immediately.
…or they are going to pawn it for $750 and everyone but the journalist wins.
They’ll have the serial number up on watch lists. Chances are they’ll sell it to a fence who moves it someplace less likely to attract attention.
I’ve worked in TV news. The cameras are more like $5,000-$10,000 and you could easily sell one on eBay for a few thousand: https://www.ebay.com/itm/294894087336
The cameras are generally branded to the station though, aren’t they?
Yeah, but I’m sure you could scrape that off.
My guess is they don’t actually know what the items were worth, but they looked as if they were worth the almost-zero risk of robbing them.
Generally journalists are considered off limits by most. Most people have more to lose by fucking with them than they have to gain.
Which is why I think it likely these were people wanting a street reputation as fearless.
They get sent overseas often times...and Its a problem alot photogs face and happens quite a bit. There has been several in San francisco just like this, but news cams get stolen quit a bit at major events. Serial #s dont do shit when independent contractors will buy stolen cams at a discount.For anybody else who sees this as a code block:
They get sent overseas often times…and Its a problem alot photogs face and happens quite a bit. There has been several in San francisco just like this, but news cams get stolen quit a bit at major events. Serial #s dont do shit when independent contractors will buy stolen cams at a discount.
Out of curiosity, why did you format your comment as a code block?
Yeah, I dont know what I did there.
I know this is serious but I laughed 🥸
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I’ve heard of this happening before. Did the reporters notice if the thieves were wearing any symbols that would suggest they belonged to an ancient ninja clan called “The Foot?”
Real front-line reporting.
I’m feeling like this has been done as a bit before…
I need to check if there’s a “Not The Onion” forum.
https://lemmy.world/post/4098843
there is.
Peak Chicago
Ironic
Don’t ya think.
I reallyd o think
A little tooooo ironic.
ITS LIKE RAAYEEEAAAAIIIINNNE
Oh how I miss my hometown 🤣
Well well well
Film at 11That’s why I only shoot with a Sony handycam.
When I worked in news a few years ago, there were small and cheaper digital cameras which would do just as good a job as our huge ones, but the huge ones looked more ‘professional’ so we used those instead. And carrying them around sucks.
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