Incident Details
- Date of Incident
- September 5, 2018
- Targets
- KDFW
- Equipment Broken
- Actor
- Private individual
Equipment Damage
Man who drove pickup into Texas TV station put on probation
The man who rammed a pickup truck into the side of the KDFW television studio in downtown Dallas, Texas, pleaded guilty to criminal mischief and was placed on probation on Nov. 18, 2021, according to court documents reviewed by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.
KDFW reported in September 2018 that Michael Chadwick Fry drove the truck into the floor-to-ceiling windows of the station, then climbed out of the truck and began yelling about “high treason” and placing multiple boxes full of paper next to the building. None of the station staff were injured as a result of the attack.
Under the conditions of a plea agreement, Fry was ordered to complete two years of community supervision, a form of probation in which final sentencing is deferred.
On Sept. 5, 2018, a man repeatedly crashed his pickup truck into the side of the KDFW/FOX 4 television studio in downtown Dallas, Texas.
Just before 7 a.m. that morning, the man rammed into the floor-to-ceiling windows of the local news station, FOX 4 reported. The man then exited the vehicle, began yelling, and placed numerous boxes full of stacks of paper near the building, throwing some of the papers around the street. He was later detained by police.
One of the station’s reporters tweeted a photo of the man holding a piece of paper against a window, and said that the man was yelling something about "high treason."
This was the man who smashed his truck into our station this morning..throwing papers around while yelling "high treason". @FOX4 pic.twitter.com/k7PsosDQIk
— Brandon Todd (@BrandonToddFOX4) September 5, 2018
FOX 4 also reported that the man left behind a "suspicious package," later identified as a bag. A bomb squad was quickly dispatched to the station, and journalists were quickly moved to a "secure location."
A man crashed a truck into the side of our building this morning. He jumped out and started ranting. He’s in custody now but the bomb squad is on its way. He left behind a suspicious bag. Most have been evacuated & a few are working to keep the news on air from a secure location. pic.twitter.com/X3UpLbYk85
— FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) September 5, 2018
The bag was ultimately determined to pose no threat. No one was injured as a result of the incident, and staff were allowed to re-enter the building after several hours.
The man involved was arrested, and Dallas police later identified him as Michael Chadwick Fry.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article misstated the first name of Michael Chadwick Fry as Matthew.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogues press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
