Five reporters showed up to cover a military groundbreaking. Instead, they were pulled from their cars at gunpoint.
The journalists arrived at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California Monday for a 1:30 p.m. “golden shovel” ceremony marking the start of construction on a new training facility for missile operators.
They never made it to the event.
Reporters from your News Channel, Noozhawk, KSBY and the Santa Maria Times/Lompoc Record had been invited to attend and were waiting at the front gate to join the usual media caravan.
The group began following a military escort vehicle onto the base.
Then the welcome wagon turned into a nightmare.
Security officers suddenly stopped the convoy and ordered the reporters out of their vehicles with their hands raised.
Guns came out. Sirens blared. Barriers slammed into place at the gate.
Two military members traveling with the group — an enlisted service member and a junior officer — were handcuffed and hauled away in base vehicles, according to Noozhawk.
The civilian reporters were ordered to sit on a curb.
The journalists were detained for more than 30 minutes, causing them to miss the event they had been invited to cover.
Everyone was eventually cleared and released without further incident.
Base personnel apologized to News Channel reporter Jarrod Zinn for the mix-up.
Vandenberg officials later blamed a communication breakdown and said the base has been dealing with an increased number of unauthorized entry attempts.
“Vandenberg Space Force Base is experiencing an Increased number of unauthorized entry attempts. When media entered the installation there was a breakdown in communication and movement continued prior to verification. Every potential unauthorized presence must be treated as a legitimate threat until proven otherwise. While we recognize this may have been unsettling, the security of the base and its personnel is our priority.”
Noozhawk Editor in Chief Tom Bolton said the newsroom understands the military’s need to protect the base, but called the episode troubling.
“We respect the military’s need to provide security for the base,” Bolton said Wednesday. “But clearly what occurred was unfortunate and unnecessary, and potentially dangerous, as firearms were drawn.”
Bolton said he hopes to speak with base leadership later this week about what happened and how to prevent another incident.
