An Austin lensman finds himself caught in legal crosshairs following his coverage of a University of Texas protest. Carlos Sanchez, a 43-year-old photojournalist affiliated with Fox 7 Austin, faces twin misdemeanor charges of assault and interference with public duties, as per the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).
Initially slapped with a felony charge of assault on a peace officer, court documents later revealed that the warrant was canceled. Now, Sanchez and his legal representatives are entangled in a narrative that blurs the lines between doing his job and allegedly crossing a line with law enforcement. Sanchez insists on his innocence, arguing, "They said that I hit an officer. I didn’t hit an officer. They were pushing me. They were pushing me," according to KXAN. An attorney for Sanchez echoed this stance in a statement, asserting, "He did not commit a crime."
The arrest has churned up considerable conversation concerning the rights of journalists and the respective obligations of the police. The DPS maintains a firm stance, declaring, "While journalists should be provided access, it is never acceptable to interfere with official police duties and assaulting an officer of the law – no matter the degree – will never be tolerated." This comment comes in the wake of DPS's claims that Sanchez was "seen moving towards a DPS Trooper, then lunging and striking the Trooper with his camera," which they say is backed by video evidence. The details come from a DPS statement referenced by KSAT.
Amid the fray, many of the other protest-related charges have dissolved; the Travis County Attorney's Office dismissed criminal trespass charges against 57 individuals citing "lack sufficient probable cause to proceed," as per the KXAN report. In all, 79 protesters were taken into custody during the UT campus rally, according to reports by the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, with a significant number of those arrested being outsiders to the UT community.
In the interlude between outcry and adjudication, Sanchez sits with two misdemeanors to his name, a testament to the tension between a journalist's quest for truth and the long arm of the law. Meanwhile, his employer Fox 7 Austin has opted to withhold comment until the ripples of the incident settle into a clearer picture of that day's events.
