A man was arrested after allegedly crashing his truck into the windows of a Fox affiliate intentionally Wednesday morning in downtown Dallas, police said.
Police arrived minutes later and took Michael Chadwick Fry, 34, into custody without incident, the Dallas Police Department said in a statement. Fry was evaluated at a hospital and then taken to the Lew Sterrett jail, police said, where he was charged with felony criminal mischief.
Fry’s silver Dodge Ram smashed into the tall glass windows in what appeared to be at least two collisions.
No one was injured, and it did not appear as though reporters were targeted, police said.
But Fry, in a frantic state, told reporters at the jail that he was in fear of his life and wanted to bring attention to an incident in which a deputy shot and killed a man in 2012.
A man crashed a truck into the side of our building this morning. He jumped out and started ranting. He’s in custody now but the bomb squad is on its way. He left behind a suspicious bag. Most have been evacuated & a few are working to keep the news on air from a secure location. pic.twitter.com/X3UpLbYk85
— FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) September 5, 2018
A Denton County sheriff’s deputy shot and killed Roberto Carlos Hernandez after authorities said he rammed a patrol car during a traffic stop. A man matching Fry’s name and age was in the car and arrested, according to an NBC 5 story from 2012.
Fry tossed reams of papers and fliers outside the station referring to the shooting, written hastily on a printout of a story from WFAA. The fliers described “high treason,” “witchery” and conspiracies, and suggested that police officials were paid off, WFAA reported.
“They were trying to kill me, and they missed and they killed Roberto Carlos Hernandez,” Fry pleaded with reporters. “Ever since, I’ve been running for my life and I don’t know what to do.”
Fry told reporters that he was mentally challenged but did not elaborate before police led him away. The Denton Record-Chronicle reported that he has been held in county jail 26 times since 2003, citing records of incidents involving assault, arson and other crimes.
#Update A closeup look at one of the hundreds of papers the suspect dumped in front of @FOX4 after ramming the building. pic.twitter.com/xm8V1E1Now
— FOX4Terry (@FOX4Terry) September 5, 2018
Photos show the station building has a partly collapsed window with a hole wider than the truck. Another window is smashed where the truck appears to have stopped.
The incident comes amid concern that accusations and political rhetoric relating to “fake news” have emboldened violence against journalists.
A gunman killed five reporters and injured two others at the Capital Gazette in Annapolis on June 28. He shattered a glass door with a shotgun blast to enter the building.
Then in August, federal authorities charged a California man with making repeated threats of violence against the Boston Globe newspaper.
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