Fort Worth police say Fox News’ report on chief, protests a ‘gross mischaracterization’
The Fort Worth Police Department called an inaccurate Fox News report about Fort Worth a “gross mischaracterization” in a Facebook post Monday night.
On Monday night, Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson berated Fort Worth Chief Ed Kraus for not pursuing charges against protesters who were arrested on May 31. Carlson said on his show that Kraus “dropped all charges against the rioters.”
“This information is absolutely inaccurate and is not consistent with the actual facts,” Fort Worth police said in the Facebook post. “The only charges dropped were minor misdemeanors which did not involve property or personal crimes.”
Police made the arrests on May 31 after SWAT officers used tear gas to disperse a crowd of protesters following an hours-long peaceful standoff on the West 7th Street bridge.
Police arrested at least 40 protesters on suspicion of inciting a riot.
In a press release on June 8, Kraus said the charges against all the protesters would not be pursued, which created confusion. Several other media outlets, such as NPR, reported all charges would be dropped based on this statement. A Fox News spokeswoman clarified that Carlson was referring to this initial press release from Kraus.
The chief later clarified that people who vandalized businesses or were accused of assault would still be charged. Charging decisions are ultimately made by the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office.
Carlson also said on his show Monday that Kraus “suggested that the real criminals in the riot were not the rioters, but were his own police officers.”
“This too is absolutely inaccurate and a gross mischaracterization of any statement released by Chief Kraus or the department,” police said. “Recklessly releasing such inaccurate, unverified information does nothing for the good of the public and simply creates an environment of confusion and bitterness during a time in which so many are wanting their voices heard.”
Carlson provided other inaccurate information about Fort Worth protests during his show Monday night. He said businesses in Fort Worth were looted; they were not. Two windows were broken at businesses on West 7th. This happened after protesters dispersed and was attributed to a handful of people who remained behind. The police department is still pursuing vandalism charges.
Carlson said three officers were injured during “rioting,” after protesters threw projectiles on the bridge, but only one officer was hit by a projectile. Another officer was injured while making an arrest and another received an unspecified injury while helping with crowd control.
Carlson inaccurately said demonstrators blocked a bridge downtown and then police arrived to disperse them. In reality, Fort Worth police blocked West 7th Street Bridge as protesters tried to march into the cultural district.
This story was originally published June 16, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
