Mississippi police issued an arrest warrant for an Ohio man who assaulted a Black reporter during a live news taping. According to NBC News, Benjamin Eugene Dagley will be charged with two counts of simple assault, one count of violating an emergency curfew and one count of disturbing the peace for his violent confrontation with MSNBC News’ Shaquille Brewster.
On Monday (Aug. 30), Brewster was reporting live on Tropical Storm Ida. During the middle of his segment, Dagley pulled up in his white pickup truck and ran towards Brewster and the rest of the MSNBC crew.
The news reporter initially ignored the man and moved over to continue his weather coverage. Moments later, Dagley ran directly at Brewster and got in his face while shouting, “Report accurately.”
This isn’t Dagley’s first run-in with the law. He could also be in violation of his probation in Cuyahoga County, Ohio if he traveled to Gulfport without permission. Back in 2017, the 54-year-old pleaded guilty to vandalism, attempted assault and inducing panic. He reportedly broke into Cleveland Plating, a business he once owned, and drilled holes into tanks of dangerous chemicals — including hydrochloric acid, sodium cyanide, yellow chromate, sulfuric acid and ferrous chloride.
Dagley’s drilling risked a potential environmental disaster, according to police. His co-workers told authorities that he “knew what he was doing” when he released the dangerous chemicals into the air. The 27-year-old security guard who found the leaks was later taken to a nearby hospital for possible cyanide poisoning.
Two months later, Dagley was charged with misdemeanor assault after he broke into Cleveland Plating — for a second time — with two other associates. He allegedly assaulted a security guard by punching them and slamming a door into their knee.
As of Wednesday (Sept. 1), Dagley has not been apprehended and is still on the run. Check out a video of his confrontation with Brewster below.