Two masked men recently attacked a photographer in San Francisco. The men were holding him at gunpoint, trying to take his gear bag. As he was struggling and holding on to his gear, the thugs pistol-whipped him, causing him multiple injuries.
The terrifying incident took place in broad daylight at the Palace of Fine Arts. It’s a popular location crowded with people, and someone managed to catch it all on camera.
SF Streets shared the video showing what had happened. The attacked man is a wedding photographer who was taking photos of a couple at the Palace of Fine Arts. You can see that they’re tugging him, trying to get his gear bag. He is trying to get away and refusing to give up his gear, which is when the tugs start pistol-whipping his head.
Thankfully, it ended relatively well. No one got killed and the photographer got to keep all his gear and photos. In fact, he told SF Streets that he didn’t want to give up the photos he’d taken of the couple. “It was a very dangerous situation and thank goodness no one got killed,” SF Streets writes and I can only agree.
Still, it didn’t end that well. Although he kept the gear and the photos, the photographer was injured from getting his head smashed with guns. Also, there’s another video showing the same two thieves who grabbed someone else’s camera bag and ran into the escape car.
Since the Palace of Fine Arts is a hot spot for photographers, it’s also one for thieves. There are even “prevent crime” signs all over the place reminding people not to leave their valuables in cars. But what do we do with photographers who carry their gear with them and get attacked with guns in broad daylight?! After all, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened in San Francisco.
Photographer and YouTuber Jefferson Graham got robbed while the cameras rolled. Last year, a reporter got robbed while filming a piece about robberies (ironic, isn’t it?). Another photographer was followed home and the robbers took his gear while threatening him with a gun. And earlier this year, a Canadian film crew was robbed at a gunpoint in San Francisco’s Twin Peaks parking lot. So what can you do if the police are apparently not doing their job very well in these hot spots?
I honestly have no idea. I would tell you to only shoot in daylight and with lots of witnesses around – but most of these robberies happened during the day in public places. Maybe for starters just avoid these places in San Francisco and hope that, in near future, they will be protected with something more than “prevent crime” signs.
[via PetaPixel]
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