CNN Reporter Arrested, Released Covering Protests of Floyd Death

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A CNN reporter and his crew were arrested and released by police in Minneapolis early Friday, after a night of continued protests over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was handcuffed on the ground while police knelt on his back and neck.

CNN’s Omar Jimenez, who the cable network said identifies as black and Latino, and his producer, cameraman and a security guard they hired were arrested live on air Friday before being released later in the morning. They were covering the increasingly violent protests that have erupted over Floyd’s killing, which has renewed outcry about the deaths of black people at the hands of police in the U.S.

Jimenez and the television crew were released after CNN’s Jeff Zucker spoke with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. The officers were from the Minnesota State Patrol. According to CNN, Walz apologized to Zucker for the arrests.