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Attorneys acting for a journalist from Chicago's local TV network who was temporarily detained by government officers last week describe the event as "something that should concern and horrify each individual in this country".

Particulars of the Arrest

The journalist, a American national and station staff member, was taken into custody on the weekend by federal agents during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement action in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood. Videos from the scene show the producer being forced to the ground by two agents before she is restrained and placed in a van.

At the time, a government spokesperson claimed that Brockman "threw objects at an official vehicle" and was "placed under arrest for assault on a federal law enforcement officer".

Subsequently that day, the television station confirmed that their employee had been freed from detention and that no accusations had been pressed against her.

Legal Team's Reaction

In a news release released by attorneys acting for the journalist on Tuesday, her legal team challenged the government's account. They declared they "strongly refute any claim that she assaulted anyone" and that "Brockman was the one who was physically attacked by federal agents on her way to work" on 10 October.

Her lawyers say that at the time of the arrest, the journalist was "not acting in any official role as an employee for WGN" but that she was just "heading to the bus stop as part of her daily travel when she was attacked by federal officers.

"Brockman, who is a American citizen native to the US, was forcibly held on Foster Avenue," the release continues. "As this occurred, bystanders on the street began recording the event and inquired her her name."

The release says that she informed the onlookers her name and that she worked at WGN, in the hopes that "a person would notify her employer so coworkers would know that she would not be arriving at work that day", her lawyers stated.

Consequences and Next Steps

Based on her lawyers, the journalist was kept in federal custody for about several hours before being released.

"She has not been accused with any offenses and she plans to explore all legal avenues available to her to uphold her rights and hold the federal authorities accountable for their actions," the statement adds.

"Brad Thomson, a legal representative, added in the statement: "When armed, masked, federal agents are snatching US citizens off the street as they travel to work and placing them in unmarked vehicles, you can only conceive what these officers must be willing to do to our immigrant neighbors and people who choose to protest against them."

"Ms Brockman was forced down, struck, restrained, and her pants were pulled down exposing her bare buttocks," Thomson said. "Not anyone should be treated like that in this city, in this country or anywhere else in the world."

ICE, the federal agency, and the US Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to requests for comment from news outlets.