News

Photographer Christopher Morris Gets Choke-Slammed By Secret Service at Trump Rally (VIDEO)

Dan Havlik  |  Feb 29, 2016

War photographer Christopher Morris has seen a lot of conflict in his day but he probably hasn’t seen anything quite like the campaign rally for Donald J. Trump he was covering for Time magazine this afternoon. In the below clip from Joe Perticone’s Twitter feed, Morris appears to get body slammed and choked by a member of Trump’s Secret Service detail.

Morris, who is a founding member of the VII Photo Agency, can be seen after the takedown making a gesture alleging he was being choked by the Secret Service member. The clip is from a Trump rally at Radford University in Radford Virginia.

UPDATE: Here is the complete "time-synced" video of the Morris vs. Secret Service agent incident compiled from several video clips (it comes from Anthony Suau's Facebook page): 

 
Photographer Christopher Morris choked and slammed to the grou...

Photographer Christopher Morris choked and slammed to the ground at a Donald Trump rally in Radford, Virginia by overzealous security. Morris was detained after the violent incident but not arrested. Signs of a world to come.

Posted by Anthony Suau on Monday, February 29, 2016

And here's another newly released clip that shows the very beginning of incident:

 
WFXR Takedown at Trump Rally

RALLY TAKEDOWN: A photographer was involved in a scuffle with a Secret Service agent at the Donald J. Trump rally today at Radford University. What do you think about the incident? http://www.virginiafirst.com/election/photographer-secret-service-agent-in-altercation-at-trumps-rally

Posted by WFXR News on Monday, February 29, 2016

 

The scuffle between the Secret Serviceman and Morris reportedly occurred soon after Black Lives Matter protestors were removed from the event. Here is the intital video of the incident from Joe Perticone's Twitter feed.

Time has responded to the incident, acknowledging that Morris "stepped out the press pen to photograph a Black Lives Matter protest that interrupted the speech." Time's response also acknowledges that a video shows that Morris swore at a Secret Service agent who tried to move him back into the pen. 

"A separate video of the event shows that the agent then grabbed Morris’ neck with both hands and threw him into a table and onto the ground," Time's response reads, in part.

Video also shows that once on the ground, Morris kicked at the agent who was trying to restrain him. Later, Morris briefly put his hand on the agent’s neck. After the exchange, Morris said that he did so in order to demonstrate the choke hold he had just experienced.

TIME has contacted the U.S. Secret Service to express concerns about the level and nature of the agent’s response. Morris has also expressed remorse for his part in escalating the confrontation."

Here is another angle on the incident, which appears to show Morris being choked and then thrown on the ground.

X