L.A. port police sergeant cleared in reporter shoving incident
A Port of Los Angeles police officer who pushed a reporter into a shipping container last summer during a press conference acted within policy and will not be disciplined over the incident, port police officials said Thursday.
Sgt. Kevin McCloskey, who has been assigned to desk duty since the Aug. 3 incident at the port, is expected to return to field duty by Jan. 20.
The incident occurred following a port press conference appearance by Los Angeles Mayor Antonia Villaraigosa. The appearance was Villaraigosa's first following a local Spanish-language television station's disclosure that it has suspended the mayor's former girlfriend for reporting on the mayor while dating him.
Called to announce a port environmental program, the press conference was heavily attended by the local media seeking to question the mayor about his former girlfriend.
Following the conference, Villaraigosa headed to a waiting vehicle and was chased by a handful of reporters through a narrow walkway created by several 20-foot metal shipping containers. Alicia Unger, a reporter for Spanish-language television station Azteca America, tried to run past security officers toward Villaraigosa. She was pushed by McCloskey as they ran toward the mayor and hit one of the shipping containers.
The incident was captured on video and widely circulated by local media outlets and across the Internet.
Unger has since filed a lawsuit against the city claiming she was injured in the incident.
Port officials said that as a result of the incident they are reviewing their policies in dealing with the media.
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn, whose 15th District includes the Port of Los Angeles, told the Daily Breeze, “Overall, we need a better policy in place on how law enforcement deals with the media, especially poor, defenseless women who are only armed with a microphone.”
L.A. port police sergeant cleared in reporter shoving incident
