Journalists Beaten by Antifa – Local Media Accused of Hiding Left-Wing Violence

Journalists say city officials and left-leaning outlets are letting extremists run wild while silencing the truth

It was supposed to be just another weekend protest in the Pacific Northwest, but for two independent journalists, it turned into a nightmare—while Seattle’s progressive leaders and sympathetic media looked the other way.

On June 14, investigative reporter Cameron Higby and veteran Seattle broadcaster Brandi Kruse were both violently assaulted by masked Antifa agitators at immigration protests in the Seattle area. Their crime? Reporting on the truth, unfiltered.

“I could’ve been killed,” Higby told us, voice still shaken days later. “They didn’t care I was a journalist. I was just someone who wouldn’t play along.”

‘Say It or Suffer’—Violent Threats as Antifa Takes Over Seattle Streets

Higby, who covers protests nationwide, said the chaos started as soon as the sun went down. Masked extremists, many dressed in the signature black of Antifa, swarmed downtown Seattle. According to video he shared, the mob blocked traffic and demanded drivers chant “F— ICE”—lighting fires under the cars of those who refused.

“One woman was so terrified, she just abandoned her car right there in traffic,” Higby said.

As the crowd moved to a federal building, Higby thought the worst was over and sat down to catch his breath. But he was spotted. “Before I could even get up, three guys had me against a wall, trying to rip off my mask and helmet,” he recalled.

“They choked me, punched me with what felt like steel gloves, and kicked me in the face,” he said, referencing “sap gloves”—illegal weapons stuffed with metal. “If I wasn’t wearing a helmet, I’d probably be dead or in the hospital.”

The attackers didn’t stop there. Believing a nearby Jeep Wrangler belonged to Higby, they trashed it, leaving another innocent Seattleite to drive home with a shattered windshield.

Higby walked away with a concussion, ringing ears, and a trip to the ER. “This was the most violent attack I’ve experienced. If my friend hadn’t pulled them off me, I don’t know what would’ve happened.”

Police Ordered to Stand Down? ‘Their Hands Are Tied’

Higby says police sources told him the Seattle Police Department was instructed not to intervene. “There’s a detective on my case now, but it’s moving at a snail’s pace. SPD wants to help, but city hall won’t let them.”

The Seattle Police confirmed Higby filed a report. But Higby insists, “City leaders are more interested in optics than law and order.”

Veteran Reporter Targeted: ‘Antifa Wants the Cameras Gone’

Meanwhile, Brandi Kruse, a respected journalist with over a decade in Seattle news, faced her own nightmare just miles away. Covering an anti-ICE protest in Tukwila, Kruse says she and her team were swarmed by black-clad agitators the moment they arrived. “It took less than two minutes for the assaults to start,” Kruse said.

Protesters sprayed her with water, blocked her camera, hurled insults, and even hit her from behind with protest signs. One man sprinted at the crew and sprayed Kruse’s face with industrial-strength hornet killer. “It burned immediately. He kept following us, just spraying and spraying,” Kruse said.

It got worse when an Army veteran with her team was recognized. “Six or seven of them tackled him, stomped him, and threatened him with a gun,” Kruse recounted. Only a passing civilian’s quick thinking allowed them to escape.

Left-Leaning Media Accused of ‘Running Cover’ for Radicals

Kruse and Higby agree on one thing: Seattle’s liberal media and city officials are covering up left-wing violence. “The Seattle Times didn’t mention any of this,” Kruse said. “They made it look like police were the aggressors, while the mob was ‘peaceful.’”

“This is how they control the narrative,” Kruse warned. “As long as reporters play along, Antifa lets them be. But if you try to expose what’s really happening, they attack.”

Both Kruse and Higby have reported similar violence before—especially during the infamous “CHOP” zone occupation in 2020, when Seattle’s leadership allowed activists to seize several city blocks. “It’s always the same story,” Kruse said. “Radical leftists attack journalists, and local leaders pretend nothing happened.”

Is Seattle Lost to Lawlessness?

With police afraid to act and city hall refusing to confront violent extremism, Seattle’s future looks grim. “This is what happens when radical ideology runs the show,” one SPD officer (who asked not to be named) told us. “The public is not safe, and neither are the people trying to tell the real story.”

Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office did not respond to requests for comment. The Seattle Times and other local outlets have yet to report on the violence that left two journalists bruised but undeterred.

“I’ll keep reporting,” Higby said. “But people need to wake up—Seattle is being run by the mob, and the media is helping them hide it.”