BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut police chief has issued an explanation and apology for the arrest of a journalist.
Bridgeport Police Chief Armando Perez says in a letter released Tuesday to a Hearst Connecticut Media executive that he regrets and apologizes for the detainment of reporter Tara O’Neill while she was covering a rally on May 9.
O’Neill and 11 protesters were handcuffed and transported to the police department. The journalist said she identified herself as a news reporter before she was taken into custody and was later released without any charges.
Perez’s letter states that the officer did not realize that O’Neill was identifying herself as a reporter.
Connecticut Insider reports that on the bodycam footage of another officer nearby, O’Neill can be heard identifying herself as a member of the press.
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