A reporter was robbed live on-air while reporting on rising theft activity at a shopping mall in South Australia.
Reporter Hayden Nelson said he and his cameraman’s lighting equipment was stolen as they filmed a live report on alleged robbery incidents at Rundle Mall in Adelaide, on Sunday, March 2, the national outlet Sunrise reported.
“This morning during our last live cross … someone came and took the light off our light stand,” Nelson told Sunrise on location at the mall. “…They just pulled that blatantly off and walked away with it. So any cause for security, any need for police was certainly made clear for us this morning.”
Nelson said the incident occurred at 5:30 a.m. local time as a garbage truck “pulled up” to him and his cameraman while setting up for the segment, ABC Adelaide reported.
“We were on-air live and the lights are blaring in our face, we were both focused on a live cross of course,” Nelson told the outlet. “…Between us and the garbage truck, someone’s just come along and stolen the light off the lights stand.”
“We’ve been reporting on the crime issues here this morning so we knew there was going to be [a] possibility … anything can sort of happen when you’re on-air,” said Nelson. “[But] you don’t expect this, brazenly stealing your equipment.”
The cameraman filed a report to the police who are on the lookout for a man wearing an “orange beanie,” ABC Adelaide reported.
The incident comes after an alleged “random attack” was carried out on a 43-year-old woman shopping with her daughter at Rundle Mall at around midday on Saturday, March 1, 9News and 7News Australia reported.
The suspect, identified as Scott Michael Antrobus, 37, allegedly chased and struck the woman “without warning” before he was pinned to the ground and held down by a group of bystanders for 15 minutes until police arrived, according to reports.
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Rundle Mall in Adelaide, Australia
One witness told 7News Australia, “This lady started screaming for help and we noticed this guy just running up to her and her daughter and hitting them in the back of their head.”
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The Retail Workers Union is calling for a review of security measures at all South Australian shopping centers following the recent crime waves at these locations, 9News reported.
Assistant secretary Jordan Mumford said, per the outlet, “What we are calling for is a review by state government into adequacy of laws and regulations on shopping centre operators and what is required of them in regards to security guards.”
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