A Czech television news crew was held at gunpoint and robbed of their equipment Sunday afternoon while covering the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit here, according to Bohumil Vostal, the journalist leading the team. “Three masked assailants approached with guns pointed,” Vostal relayed to the San Francisco Chronicle. The alarming incident took place near City Lights Bookstore, around Broadway and Columbus Avenue, at approximately 5 p.m. The thieves reportedly made off with over $18,000 worth of production equipment and footage.
The San Francisco Police Department confirmed to local outlet KTVU FOX 2 that an investigation is underway. Details shared by the police reveal the robbery was executed by three armed men who approached the group from a vehicle halted in the street. They demanded the crew’s equipment, obtained it, returned to their car, and hastily exited the scene.
The news production team arrived in San Francisco for coverage of the APEC summit, reuniting U.S. President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time since November. Despite the unfortunate incident, Vostal assured on social media, in a post translated by KTVU, “We’ll keep shooting. We are here for the US President’s summit with the Chinese leader. And we’ll be there (as always) for CT.” The APEC summit, hosted by the U.S. for the first time since 2011, is anticipated to foster discussions around enhancing trade and economic growth across the Pacific region.