CBS Reporter Robbed, Shot at While Covering Oakland Teachers' Strike

A security guard for Joe Vazquez, a reporter for CBS affiliate KPIX 5 in the San Francisco Bay Area, was shot in the leg and hospitalized while Vazquez and his crew were covering the Oakland teachers’ strike on Sunday night.

The crew also had their camera and tripod stolen by the armed robber, according to KPIX 5. Security guard Matt Meredith is in “stable” condition, according to KPIX 5 assignment editor Maya Castro. Vazquez later tweeted “we believe his wounds are not life threatening, thank God.” Vazquez included a 40-second video of the scene on Sunday night, showing Meredith being helped off the ground and taken away in a stretcher.

Thank you, friends, for your well wishes. Our guard was shot today in Oakland while we were on assignment covering the Oakland teachers strike. We believe his wounds are not life threatening, thank God. Photographer John Anglin was robbed at gunpoint. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/TP225CUJNQ

— Joe Vazquez (@joenewsman) February 25, 2019

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Vazquez and KPIX 5 did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for details on the shooting and robbery.

According to KPIX reporter Elizabeth Cook on Twitter, Vazquez and photographer John Anglin “are safe.” She added she was “grateful for the bravery of their guard..praying for a fast recovery.”

So thankful @joenewsman and photographer John Anglin are safe. Grateful for the bravery of their guard..praying for a Fast recovery #hero #brave #protectjournalists

— Elizabeth Cook (@ElizabethKPIX) February 25, 2019

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Vazquez and Anglin were preparing to interview strikers at the Oakland Library when they were robbed, according to KPIX 5. The crew was inside the news van when a car rolled up and the driver “pulled a gun on the crew, demanding their camera,” according to KPIX 5. It’s unclear whether the driver was a man or a woman.

The shooter fled the scene and remains at large, according to KPIX 5.

The Oakland Police Department did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for details on the shooting and robbery.

The Oakland teachers’ strike is heading into its second week. About 3,000 teachers went on strike last week, with many picketing outside its schools on Thursday and Friday. The teachers are seeking a 12 percent retroactive raise, covering 2017 to 2020, according to Fox News.

11 Media Losers of 2018, From Les Moonves to Michael Avenatti (Photos)

2018 was hard for a lot of media folks, but particularly so for this rogues' gallery. For some, it was MeToo. For others, industry headwinds were too much. And for more still, disgrace and ignominy came after just saying the wrong thing.
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Les Moonves: Once celebrated for his leadership at CBS, Moonves faced multiple allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct for which he was ultimately fired. CBS said in December that it would seek to deny him a roughly $120-million severance package.
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Laura Ingraham: Long a divisive figure (even on the right), the Fox News host might have avoided the losers' column were it not for a sponsor boycott launched against her by Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg in March. Months later, advertisers are still wary of appearing on the program.

Also Read: Laura Ingraham Compares Confederate Statue Protesters to ISIS
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Michael Ferro/Tronc: The leadership of Michael Ferro has now made Tronc synonymous with mismanagement. In addition to leaving the top job with a #MeToo scandal over his head, Ferro is now facing accusations of making anti-semitic remarks and paying off an LA Times editor who reportedly had the comments on tape.
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Media Publishers: From Mic.com on the left to The Weekly Standard on the right, publishers came in for a beating, with some closing up entirely. With few exceptions, legacy shops saw print sales decline, while digital-first properties continue to face the crushing economics of turning pageviews into profits.
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Breitbart: It's a name you probably haven't heard for a while. Once a key part of the engine which powered Trump's improbable election, the website had long fallen off most radars. A sustained pressure campaign against advertisers on the site by Sleeping Giants has also taken a bite out of revenue.

Also Read: Breitbart and Drudge Hit by Google Cloud Issue, Go Offline
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Marc Lamont Hill: Once a CNN regular, Hill lost his job as a contributor on the network after making remarks about Israel and Palestine at the UN that many called anti-semitic. A chummy photo with Louis Farrakhan -- who has compared Jews to termites -- didn't help matters for him either. He remains a tenured professor at Temple University.

Also Read: CNN Fires Contributor Marc Lamont Hill Over Israel Remarks (Video)
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CBS and "60 Minutes": Both the network and its marquee news program took a beating this year. "60 Minutes" executive producer Jeff Fager was forced out in a MeToo scandal, while details of an investigation launched by the network generally hit the press before reaching top management.
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Michael Avenatti: Just months ago, the lawyer representing Stormy Daniels in her legal fight with Donald Trump was considered a serious presidential contender. But his reputation took a hit after taking on a questionable MeToo claim against Brett Kavanaugh, and he disappeared for good after being booked on felony domestic violence charges in November (though he was not charged).

Also Read: Michael Avenatti Says He Won’t Run for President in 2020 After All
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Andy Lack: The MSNBC/NBC News chief had a rough 2018. His network's decision to pass on Ronan Farrow's historic MeToo reporting continues to reverberate. His big bet on Megyn Kelly also flopped and became a multi-million dollar ulcer which still remains far from resolved.
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Gavin McInnes: Always on the fringes, McInnes had nevertheless carved a niche for himself as an online provocateur, a host on CRTV and as the head of his own (occasionally violent/racist) fraternal organization, The Proud Boys. By the end of 2018, he was banned from Twitter, dropped by CRTV and had resigned from The Proud Boys.
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Univision: Univision spent $135 million on Gawker Media back in 2016 and has spent most of the time since mismanaging the former properties and being called out by its own writers. Amid buyouts to editorial and broad layoffs elsewhere, Univision revealed it is looking to cut its losses and unload the websites once and for all.

Also Read: Univision Unveils New Strategy to Drive Millennials From Their Phones to the TV (Exclusive)
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2018 was a rough year for media, and for this rogues’ gallery, the damage was particularly catastrophic

2018 was hard for a lot of media folks, but particularly so for this rogues' gallery. For some, it was MeToo. For others, industry headwinds were too much. And for more still, disgrace and ignominy came after just saying the wrong thing.

View In Gallery

11 Media Losers of 2018, From Les Moonves to Michael Avenatti (Photos)

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