Minnesota Guv. Apologizes After State Police Arrest CNN Reporter And Crew At Protests

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) apologized to CNN president Jeff Zucker on Friday morning after police officers arrested CNN reporter Omar Jimenez and his camera crew of three as they were covering the protests in Minneapolis earlier that morning.

CNN reported that Walz had told Zucker he “deeply apologizes” for the arrests, which the governor denounced as “unacceptable.”

Jimenez, who is black and Latino, and his crew were covering the protests that had been provoked by the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white police officer named Derick Chauvin kneeled on his neck for several minutes while several other officers stood by.

Footage of Jimenez’s arrest, which was broadcasted in real time, shows police officers asking the reporter and the crew to move as they explained they were members of the media. Jimenez calmly agrees to go and said “Just put us back where you want us. We’re getting out of your way.”

The officers then arrest Jimenez without explanation even as he asks “Why am I under arrest, sir?”

Then rest of the crew are arrested a few minutes afterward.