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Apr 30, 2008 8:33 pm US/Eastern
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Police Arrest Student Who Assaulted Journalist
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
Police have arrested a student in connection with a violent assault that left a photographer with the Baltimore Examiner hurt and emotionally shaken.
Mike Hellgren has an inside account of the attack and new details surrounding the arrest.
Baltimore Examiner photographer Arianne Starnes became the news last Thursday while taking pictures outside W.E.B. Dubois High School for a series on school violence. Dubois is connected to Reginald Lewis High School, where video showing a student attacking a teacher sparked outrage and gained national attention.
Starnes says a student grabbed her, pushed her backward and threatened her. Police arrested 18-year-old Preston Feaster at his home in the 3900-block of Frisby Avenue Wednesday morning.
School officials confirm he's a student and the arrest was made in connection with the attack.
"From what we understand, the arrest occurred without incident, and it brings this case to a close," said Donny Moses with Baltimore City Police.
Eyewitness News obtained Starnes' chilling account of what happened. She writes, "One male student yelled 'don't take my (blank) picture. I told you not to take my (blank) picture.'"
She says he began to "violently take my camera from me, making the hand gesture of a gun and pointing it at my head."
"He was angry, and decided to do what would be characterized as an assault," said Stephen Janis with The Baltimore Examiner.
City police say they made the arrest, but school police are handling the investigation. That agency is not talking.
The Examiner's publisher issued this statement: "Right now, we're going to let the criminal justice system work and continue to do a fair and objective job of reporting this story just as we would any other story. Our reporters and photographers are committed to getting the job done for our readers no matter what. Since The Baltimore Examiner first broke the story about violence in city schools one year ago, we have stayed on top of it."
Starnes is still recovering from the attack.
School officials say they've expelled more than 100 students so far this year for assaults on staff alone. They did not say whether the student would be expelled in this case.
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