California television reporters robbed, cameraman pistol whipped during live broadcasts

News crews from two San Francisco Bay Area television stations were robbed at gunpoint and a cameraman was pistol-whipped during live broadcasts.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports (http://tinyurl.com/nr7oxnp ) the robbery and assault occurred at about 6 a.m. Thursday along the city's waterfront in an area popular with tourists. Several camera crews were broadcasting live reports for local morning shows about a killing that occurred nearby Wednesday night.

The cameraman was examined on the scene and wasn't hospitalized.

The robber drove away in a black BMW with two cameras and two tripods from stations KTVU and KNTV. Two other camera crews were on the scene and weren't robbed.

Television and newspaper crews have been robbed in the San Francisco Bay Area several times in recent years. Many crews travel with armed guards when reporting in high-crime areas.