Reporter violently arrested while trying to film Virginia Gov. hopeful Ed Gillespie at public event [View all]

[n2doc]

A reporter covering Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie’s appearance at a town parade Saturday was violently arrested by a half-dozen police after a woman reportedly associated with the Gillespie campaign spoke to the officers.

Mike Stark, who covers Gillespie’s race for the site ShareBlue, was attempting to film Gillespie as he drove past during the annual Annandale Parade when he got into conflict with Fairfax County law enforcement over whether where he was standing counted as sidewalk or roadway.

Video of the encounter and arrest show a woman in red approach the officers and speak with them just prior to Stark’s arrest. ShareBlue reports the woman “had raised an objection to Stark’s presence at a Gillespie campaign event just the evening prior.” Gillespie campaign spokespeople did not respond to multiple requests for information on the woman’s connection to the campaign, instead directing all questions to police. Stark had hoped to ask Gillespie some questions during a public appearance, according to his employer.


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https://thinkprogress.org/gillespie-virginia-arrest-reporter-25b31eaaa7b5/