WAFB assistant news director Chris Slaughter was arrested Saturday night during a Baton Rouge protest after he says he put one foot on the Airline Highway.
The Baton Rouge, La. CBS affiliate reports police had been telling people all night not to step onto the highway.
Slaughter told station management he wanted to get a better shot while he was doing a Facebook live video and put one foot on the highway while keeping one foot on the curb. “At that time,” says WAFB. “Several police officers ran across the highway and arrested him.”
“Chris Slaughter is a dedicated journalist who has worked tirelessly to report on this historic event,” said news director Robb Hays.
Slaughter, who was wearing a station shirt and media credentials, was helping reporter Kiran Chawla and photographer Rick Portier cover the protest related to the shooting of Alton Sterling. Over 100 people were arrested.
He was booked into parish prison, charged with obstruction of a highway and released on bond.