Man pulls knife on journalists covering anti-lockdown protest, California police say

A 36-year-old man pulled a knife Friday on a television news team covering an anti-lockdown protest in Huntington Beach, California, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Christien Francis Petersen of Costa Mesa has been jailed on suspicion of exhibiting a deadly weapon other than a firearm and kidnapping, The Orange County Register reported.

Petersen approached a KTTV cameraman and reporter, produced a pocket knife and forced them into a news van to delete any footage in which he may have appeared, the station reported.

The journalists had been covering a Huntington Beach protest against a state shelter-in-place order issued to try to curb the spread of coronavirus, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Petersen, whose arrest form listed him as an attorney, was arrested about 7:50 p.m., The Orange County Register reported. He was being held on $100,000 bail.

Police said Petersen, who may have been intoxicated, was upset that he had been filmed by the KTTV news team at a “Live Free or Die” rally earlier Friday, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The reporter and cameraman were not hurt, KTTV reported. Petersen was still holding the videographer at knifepoint in the news van when police arrived, according to the station.

Christopher Darden, Petersen’s attorney, called the incident a “gross misunderstanding” in a statement, The New York Post reported.

Darden said Petersen objected to being photographed because he was not taking part in the protest and didn’t want to be associated with it since he’s looking for a job, according to the publication.

“When and if the opportunity arises he intends to offer his personal apology to the cameraman,” Darden said, The New York Post reported. Darden confirmed that Petersen is an attorney and said he’s a father of two.

Several protests against lockdown orders have taken place across the nation in recent days, encouraged by President Donald Trump, The Hill reported.

More than 2.4 million cases of the COVID-19 virus have been confirmed worldwide with more than 171,000 deaths as of April 21, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 787,000 confirmed cases with more than 42,000 deaths.

The World Health Organization has declared the COVID-19 virus a global pandemic. In the United States, Trump has declared a national emergency.

This story was originally published April 21, 2020 at 10:28 AM with the headline "Man pulls knife on journalists covering anti-lockdown protest, California police say."