NBC News reporter Shaquille Brewster was accosted by a man during live coverage of Hurricane Ida on Monday.
"The rain has stopped, the wind is still going," Brewster said during his live shot on MSNBC in Gulfport, Mississippi, as a man got out of a white pickup truck and approached the crew.
"I think we even have a random person … going around," Brewster continued as he directed the camera away from the man. "We deal with some people every once in a while.”
Things got very hairy for NBC News reporter Shaquille Brewster during a live Hurricane Ida report from Gulfport, MS.
Some guy jumps out of a pickup truck and angrily confronts Brewster's crew, prompting a shaken Craig Melvin to express extreme concern for his colleague. pic.twitter.com/v1tYnUsqTj
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) August 30, 2021
Brewster continued in his coverage, reporting on the 100,000 residents without power in Mississippi, adding that the curfew is still in effect until utility crews can go in to “survey the damage” of downed power lines and tree limbs.
"Craig, I'm gonna toss it back to you because we have a person who needs a little help right now," Brewster said to MSNBC anchor Craig Melvin as the man can be heard in the background becoming increasingly angry over the accuracy.
The network was just about to toss back to the studio when the man jumps back in front of the camera and into Brewester’s face, causing him to lift his microphone up and push the man away
"Hey hey hey…ummmm we're gonna check in with Shaq Brewster just to make sure all is well," Melvin said, visibly concerned about his colleague. "There's a lot of crazy out there, a lot of crazy. Again, we'll make sure Shaq's okay."
Just after the encounter, Brewster followed up on Twitter, reassuring viewers that he and his crew were "all good."
Appreciate the concern guys. The team and I are all good!
— Shaquille Brewster (@shaqbrewster) August 30, 2021
According to the Associated Press, at least two people have suffered storm-related deaths since Hurricane Ida made landfall, the same day that Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans 16 years ago.
“This is going to be much stronger than we usually see and, quite frankly, if you had to draw up the worst possible path for a hurricane in Louisiana, it would be something very, very close to what we’re seeing,” Gov. John Bel Edwards told the Associated Press.
The two deaths were reported after a tree fell on a home in Prairieville, a suburb of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and after a driver drowned in New Orleans.
