A Baltimore City teenager was arrested Wednesday and charged with assaulting a photographer from The Baltimore Examiner working on a story about school violence outside Reginald F. Lewis High School.
Preston Feaster, 18, is charged with robbery, attempted theft and second-degree assault stemming from the April 24 incident involving photographer Arianne Starnes, 24.
Baltimore Examiner Publisher Michael Beatty thanked police for their quick work.
“Right now we?re going to let the criminal justice system work and continue to do a fair and objective job of reporting this story just as we would any other story,” Beatty said in a statement.
“Our reporters and photographers are committed to getting the job done for our readers no matter what.”
Warrant Apprehension Task Force members arrested the teen at 6:40 a.m.
One day before the incident involving Starnes, Feaster had been released from Central Booking in Baltimore City on charges of marijuana possession and second-degree assault, court records show.
Charging documents from that case said Feaster deliberately crashed a vehicle into a police car April 15, and then fled on foot, during a drug arrest.
Starnes said she fell to the ground after the student came out of a group of students and tried to take her camera. The student accused her of taking his picture outside the high school, while Starnes said she never took his picture.
The student allegedly grabbed Starnes? cameras, tugging at the straps, police said.
After a struggle, Starnes said she was pushed backward to the ground. She fell on her cameras and immediately stood up but was again confronted by the student, who this time pointed his finger at her head and pretended to shoot her.
Starnes said police showed her a photo lineup from which she identified the teen.
Starnes? camera has a estimated value of $10,688, according to charging documents.
Robbery carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. Attempted theft is a felony with a 15-year maximum penalty. Second-degree assault is a misdemeanor with a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. He?s being held on $250,000 bail at Central Booking.
As rattled as Starnes was by the incident, she finished her assignment and drove to her photo shoot in Odenton.
“I certainly don?t want to be known for this,” Starnes said. “I just want to be known for the photos I take.”
