Bay Area Reporter Testifies in Case of Stolen News Equipment
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KTVU Reporter Cara Liu was doing a live shot about a homicide at Pier 14 in San Francisco last month, when a thug robbed both a KNTV news crew and her crew of their camera gear.
Cops busted Michael Anthony Jones in connection with the July 2 robbery and assault
and he has pleaded not guilty.
Liu gave testimony in the case yesterday before a San Francisco Superior Court judge. Liu gave her testimony today in case she is not available to testify if the case proceeds to trial.
Liu said that each news crew had their own news van and had parked them in a row on the sidewalk, Liu said.
She was standing in front of a news camera preparing to give a live report when she heard screaming and saw a commotion off to the side.
Liu said she was standing about a van’s distance from the commotion and tried to communicate to the live anchor that there was a commotion.
She said she ducked for cover behind the van and saw a man standing next to a black BMW sedan in the street. The man had what she believed to be a handgun extended and was pointing it in the direction of one of the news crews.
Liu said she looked for a license plate but there wasn’t one where a license plate would usually be mounted.
She said she only managed a glimpse of part of the man’s face and didn’t see any other accomplices.
According to Liu, she then got into another news van for cover and when she got out, her company’s equipment was gone and she saw a tripod sticking out of the BMW and the BMW leaving the area.
Liu then went to check on the crews involved in the commotion and saw one of the members of the news crew bleeding from his ear and a saw the magazine of a gun on the ground.
Liu said the incident “happened very fast” and was “quite traumatic.”
Jones was arrested on July 27 and was charged with two counts of robbery, as well as assault, evading, resisting arrest by threat or force, grand theft, and misdemeanor driving with a suspended license, according to San Francisco Assistant District Attorney Alex Bastian.
Jones pleaded not guilty on July 30 and remains in jail, with bail set at $250,000, San Francisco Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Kenya Briggs said.
Police said they believe there were two armed suspects and a third suspect who acted as a getaway driver. The suspects stole camera equipment from KNTV and KTVU Fox-2, making off with camera equipment valued at over $100,000.
