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Attorneys representing a journalist from the city of Chicago's local TV network who was briefly held by government officers last week describe the incident as "an occurrence that ought to alarm and horrify every person in this country".

Details of the Arrest

The journalist, a American national and WGN employee, was arrested on Friday by federal agents during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement action in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood. Footage from the scene depict Brockman being forced to the ground by officers before she is restrained and put 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 assault on a federal law enforcement officer".

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

Attorney's Reaction

In a news release issued by attorneys representing the journalist on Tuesday, her representatives challenged the government's account. They stated they "strongly refute any claim that she attacked anyone" and that "Brockman was the one who was violently assaulted by officers on her way to work" on 10 October.

Her lawyers say that at the time of the arrest, Brockman was "not acting in any professional capacity as an employee for the station" but that she was just "walking to the transit point as part of her morning commute when she was confronted by federal officers.

"The individual, who is a US Citizen born in this country, was violently detained on a city street," the release continues. "As this occurred, individuals on the street began recording the event and inquired Ms Brockman her name."

The statement says that she informed the bystanders her name and that she was employed at the station, in the hopes that "someone would inform her employer so coworkers would know that she would not be coming at work that day", her attorneys stated.

Consequences and Next Steps

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

"The individual has not been accused with any offenses and she intends to pursue all legal avenues open to her to vindicate her entitlements and ensure government accountability for their actions," the statement adds.

"Brad Thomson, a legal representative, commented in the release: "If armed, covered, federal agents are snatching US citizens off the street as they travel to work and throwing them in unmarked vehicles, you can only imagine what these officers must be willing to do to our immigrant neighbors and people who choose to speak out against them."

"The journalist was forced down, struck, handcuffed, and her trousers were pulled down exposing her uncovered skin," Thomson said. "Not anyone should be treated like that in this metropolis, in this country or anywhere else in the world."

Immigration authorities, the Department of Homeland Security, and the US Customs and Border Protection did not provide a prompt reply to inquiries from the media.