A 16-year-old is under arrest tonight, charged with a simple assault by a mob, participating in a riot, as well as throwing a missile at a car.
The charges are in connection to an attack of two Virginian Pilot reporters who were off duty on April 14th when they were assaulted at the corner of Church and Brambleton in Norfolk.
The charges, assault by mob and participating in a riot, are because more than one person was involved, not because anyone thinks this was a race riot as some cable news TV shows have said.
Acting Police Chief Sharon Chamberlin says, “At no time in our investigation or in our statements taken by the victims did it appear that the assault was racially motivated."
The Editor of the Pilot, Denis Finley, is blaming the Pilot’s OP-ED department with starting the controversy with a piece published Tuesday. In it, the columnist wrote about the assault on two of her co-workers, the reporters had told her that there was a crowd of over a hundred on the sidewalk.
Marjon Rostami locked her door, someone threw a rock at the car. David Forster got out of his car to confront the person who threw it, that’s when the assault happened.
Chamberlin adds,"People did not carry out the assault. There was a large group in the vicinity.”
Rostami and Forster aren’t talking to the media about that night anymore, but their boss has talked to them about what happened.
Finley also points at the OP-ED for bringing in the race issue.
Finley adds the piece is “the one that got the ball rolling.” It mentioned race, and it mentioned Trayvon Martin.
Today’s arrest is not the end of the investigation, more arrests could come.
And the head of the Police Department doesn’t want this incident to shape the way people view Norfolk.
