Alpha News reporter Kyle Hooten was robbed at gunpoint in downtown Minneapolis Wednesday night while covering a fresh wave of looting and rioting.
Hooten was on assignment for Alpha News, but within 30 minutes of arriving on the scene he was approached by two men and robbed.
“White boys don’t need a bulletproof vest. You’re not the ones getting shot,” one of the men said to him, commenting on Hooten’s bulletproof vest.
Hooten said he then tried to prevent the two men from stealing his backpack full of gear, at which point one of the men revealed that he had a firearm under his shirt.
“Just got robbed at gunpoint in Minneapolis for my bulletproof vest and backpack,” Hooten wrote on Twitter, noting that he has now received hundreds of death threats.
“I hope they shoot ya,” one person messaged him. “Sleep with an eye open, Kyle,” another added.
Just got robbed at gunpoint in Minneapolis for my bulletproof vest and backpack
— Kyle Hooten (@KyleHooten2) August 27, 2020
Another legally actionable death threat from the good folks over at BLM: pic.twitter.com/9c3goLBJFg
— Kyle Hooten (@KyleHooten2) August 27, 2020
Hooten said Thursday morning that he plans to file a police report.
“I’m upset about what happened but not surprised — crime has seen an unprecedented rise in the city. What is more shocking than the fact I was robbed is the hundreds of hateful messages and death threats I’ve received since the incident,” Hooten said.
“Individuals who profess to belong to the Black Lives Matter movement have sent me photographs of themselves with guns saying they’re looking for my address and will come kill me if they find it. These threats also extend to calls for violence, including murder and sexual assault, against my immediately family members,” he continued.
Hooten said he has received hundreds of death threats via Twitter like the ones below.
A second Alpha News reporter on the ground was shot with a rubber bullet while filming looters at a Saks Fifth Avenue.
Police begin using rubber bullets after looting at Saks. Our reporter was hit with one so quality is shaky at the end. pic.twitter.com/tCyLAzdjMc
— Alpha News MN (@AlphaNewsMN) August 27, 2020
The rioting picked up around 8:00 p.m. Wednesday night after a murder suspect shot himself on Nicollet Mall. Some early reports claimed the man’s death was an officer-involved shooting, leading the Minneapolis Police Department to release a graphic video of the suicide to clear up misinformation.
Dozens of businesses were looted and burned throughout the night, including Brit’s Pub, Haskell’s Wine and Spirits, and a Target store on Nicollet. Gov. Tim Walz deployed the National Guard to help respond to the unrest.
The Minnesota State Patrol said 33 people were arrested while law enforcement worked to “restore order and clear businesses of looters.”
Troopers and @mndnr conservation officers arrested 33 people last night in #Minneapolis while working to restore order and clear businesses of looters. Troopers arrested 28 people, the @mndnr arrested five. @MinneapolisPD will have overall arrest totals.
— MN State Patrol (@MnDPS_MSP) August 27, 2020
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
