An NBC Bay Area news crew was deployed to San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood on Saturday evening when two armed individuals stole their camera and drove off.
San Francisco police said the two suspects pulled up in front of the crew in a Lexus and threatened the victims with a weapon hidden under their clothes. The criminals demanded the team for their cameras and sped off afterward. Fortunately, authorities said none of the crew members sustained any injuries.
News Crew Robbery
After being robbed, the news crew was able to identify the license plate of the criminals’ vehicle. Authorities were able to quickly locate the car with the help of the identification and arrested two suspects, a 15-year-old boy and his 20-year-old accomplice. While police investigation while still ongoing, officials had to release the two at the scene.
A white Honda linked to the crime was also traced by police. In the back seat through the window, police said they spotted a professional-sized camera and a camera used in a separate theft earlier that day in the Mission. Police then arrested 18-year-old Ronnell Johnson and 21-year-old Romell Boyland, who were inside the vehicle at the time.
Police arrested Johnson under suspicion of robbery, possession of stolen property, and conspiracy. Authorities applied the same charges to his accomplice, Boyland, but adding a probation violation for a previous aggravated assault case.
Authorities later returned the stolen camera to the NBC Bay Area news crew, the San Francisco Gate reported.
