Theresa Braine
New York Daily News
Police in Shorewood, Illinois, have arrested a 20-year-old white man who leaped at a reporter during a live broadcast, shook her by the shoulders and shrieked a profane epithet in her face as she delivered a weather report.
To observers it was clearly a premeditated attack.
“To the good people of Shorewood: Do you recognize this guy?? He just assaulted our reporter during her 10pm live shot,” posted a colleague on Facebook, with a still.
Police in the town about 45 miles south of Chicago agreed and arrested Eric Farina on Sunday, charging him with battery and disorderly conduct. He was released on $2,500 bond.
“Farina grabbed the reporter around her shoulders and uttered a profane and disturbing statement,” Shorewood police told The Herald-News. “Farina made a full confession and was placed under arrest, bonded, and released.”
The reporter, Gaynor Hall, addressed Farina directly after the attack, before he was arrested.
“A brief note to the young man who jumped in my live shot tonight,” she posted on Facebook. “It was not funny. You violated my personal space. You grabbed me. You scared me. Was it worth it?”
She updated that with thanks for the support, which far outweighed the vitriol exhibited by the man.
“Thanks to your help, he was identified and arrested,” Hall wrote. “Thank you all so much for your kind words and support. I am ok and I appreciate you more than you know.”
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