April Ryan’s Bodyguard Faces Assault Charges After NJ Fracas

A personal bodyguard of CNN political commentator April Ryan is now facing charges two weeks following an alleged assault on a local reporter who was covering her speech at a New Jersey hotel.

New Brunswick Today's Charlie Kratovil said he filed harassment, assault and theft charges against Ryan's private security guard Joel Morris, who was caught on Kratovil's camera as Ryan began her Aug. 3 speech at an educational event.

"This was more than just an assault on me. This was an assault on freedom of the press, and @AprilDRyan should have immediately condemned the use of violence against a journalist," Kratovil said Monday after the charges were filed.

Kratovil, who said he was invited to cover the event, was recording when Morris stepped up to Ryan's podium and whispered something to her. Moments later, the camera moved and Kratovil can be heard saying "Don't touch my camera, please," as Ryan told the crowd, "I don't have news covering my speech."

Kratovil reported that he wasn't informed of any video restrictions prior to the event and that he had been recording other speakers without a problem.

The footage he recorded spun for a minute as commotion continued. Kratovil asked for his camera back a few times before the scuffle got louder and the footage resumed, with Morris standing outside the hotel.

Ryan, who has said she hired her personal bodyguard after receiving death threats as a White House correspondent and being outspoken on the Trump administration's attitude against the press, could not immediately be reached for comment. Her employer, American Urban Radio Networks, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. 

Another video posted Aug. 14 by New Brunswick Today shows Morris attempting to take the journalist's camera before escorting him out.

Morris is expected to appear in court on Sept. 12 to answer for the charges, according to the New Jersey court website. Information on an attorney for him wasn't immediately available. 

Photo Credit: Amy Harris/Invision/AP
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