A group of freelance reporters working for the Xinhua News Agency were robbed by a group of armed men as they tried to record footage from a memorial for Michael Brown in the chaotic aftermath of a Ferguson grand jury announcement.

At around 8pm yesterday, the crew of four were filming on the city’s Canfield Drive when a large group of men wearing masks and carrying guns approached them. “They got closer and then I heard them say, ‘Turn the camera off, turn the camera off.’ They came sort of at us and tried to grab the camera,” freelancer Emily Molli said.

Molli says they packed up and were leaving when the group surrounded their car and smashed its windows. Marcus DiPaola, another freelancer, says that’s when they were attacked. “Fifteen to 20 males followed us with guns and hammers out,” he said. “Every single one of them had masks on.”

“One guy pulled [the car door] back open, got a gun out of his backpack and pointed it at my head. He tells me to get out of the car and give me the keys,” said Molli. “That’s what I did.”

The Xinhua reporters were then chased away from their car, but were rescued by a church group that was out in the neighborhood delivering turkeys. DiPaola and Molli said a large video camera, their car keys and their wallets had been stolen.

Ferguson police are investigating the incident.

All reporters: PLEASE DO NOT GO TO CANFIELD MEMORIAL. Was attacked and robbed at gunpoint.

— Marcus DiPaola (@MJDiPaola) November 26, 2014

Outrage of the Ferguson grand jury verdict has brought on heavy rioting, causing damage to cars and property. Despite the common practice of not commenting on the internal affairs of another country, China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said:

“But I would like to say that there’s no such thing as perfection when it comes to human rights regardless of whatever country you’re in. We have to improve the record of human rights and promote the cause of human rights. We can learn from each other in this area.”

[h/t reddit]

Photo: Riverfront Times Blog