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

Details of the Arrest

Debbie Brockman, a American national and WGN employee, was arrested on Friday by federal agents during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in a North Side Chicago area. Footage from the scene depict Brockman being forced to the ground by officers before she is restrained and placed in a van.

At the moment, a government spokesperson claimed that the individual "hurled items at an official vehicle" and was "placed under arrest for assault on a federal law enforcement officer".

Subsequently that day, WGN confirmed that Brockman had been released from federal custody and that no charges had been pressed against her.

Legal Team's Reaction

In a statement released by attorneys representing the journalist on Tuesday, her legal team disputed the official version. They stated they "strongly refute any claim that she attacked anyone" and that "She was the one who was violently assaulted by officers on her way to work" on the date in question.

Her attorneys explain that at the time of the arrest, Brockman was "not performing in any official role as an staff member for WGN" but that she was just "walking to the transit point as part of her morning commute when she was attacked by federal officers.

"The individual, who is a American citizen born in this country, was forcibly held on Foster Avenue," the statement adds. "As this occurred, bystanders on the street began filming the event and asked Ms Brockman her name."

The release says that she told the bystanders her name and that she was employed at the station, in the hopes that "someone would notify her workplace so coworkers would know that she would not be coming at work that day", her attorneys stated.

Consequences and Next Steps

Based on her lawyers, the journalist was kept in government detention for about several hours before being released.

"The individual has not been accused with any crimes and she plans to explore all legal options open to her to uphold her entitlements and ensure government accountability for their actions," the statement adds.

"One attorney, one of her attorneys, added in the statement: "If armed, masked, government officers are snatching US citizens off the street as they walk to work and placing them in unmarked vehicles, you can only imagine what these officers must be willing to do to our foreign-born residents and individuals who choose to protest against them."

"The journalist was taken to the ground, struck, handcuffed, and her trousers were lowered exposing her bare buttocks," the lawyer stated. "No one should be handled like that in this city, in this country or anywhere else in the globe."

ICE, the federal agency, and the border agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the media.