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Attorneys representing a producer from Chicago's local TV network who was briefly held by government officers last week describe the event as "something that should alarm and frighten each individual in this nation".

Details of the Arrest

The journalist, a US citizen and WGN employee, was taken into custody on the weekend by government officers during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood. Footage from the scene depict Brockman being forced to the ground by officers before she is restrained and placed in a van.

At the time, a government spokesperson stated that the individual "hurled items at an official vehicle" and was "placed under arrest for attacking an officer".

Later on Friday, the television station confirmed that their employee had been released from federal custody and that no accusations had been filed against her.

Attorney's Response

In a statement issued by attorneys representing Brockman on Tuesday, her legal team challenged the government's account. They declared they "strongly refute any allegation that she assaulted anyone" and that "Brockman was the one who was physically attacked by officers on her way to work" on the date in question.

Her lawyers explain that at the time of the detainment, the journalist was "not acting in any professional capacity as an staff member for WGN" but that she was just "heading to the transit point as part of her morning commute when she was attacked by federal officers.

"The individual, who is a US Citizen born in this country, was forcibly held on a city street," the statement adds. "As this happened, bystanders on the street began filming the event and asked her her name."

The release indicates that she told the bystanders her name and that she was employed at the station, in the hopes that "someone would notify her employer so coworkers would know that she would not be arriving at work that day", her attorneys stated.

Aftermath and Next Steps

Based on her lawyers, Brockman was kept in federal custody for about seven hours before being released.

"The individual has not been charged with any offenses and she intends to explore all legal avenues open to her to uphold her rights and hold the federal authorities accountable for their conduct," the statement notes.

"One attorney, a legal representative, added in the statement: "When armed, covered, federal agents are taking US citizens off the street as they walk to work and throwing them in non-descript cars, you can only conceive what these officers must be willing to do to our immigrant neighbors and people who dare to speak out against them."

"The journalist was taken to the ground, battered, restrained, and her trousers were lowered exposing her uncovered skin," the lawyer stated. "Not anyone should be treated like that in this city, in this country or any other place in the globe."

Immigration authorities, the Department of Homeland Security, and the border agency did not immediately respond to inquiries from news outlets.