Telemundo Reporter Iris Delgado Attacked During Live Broadcast [Video]

Telemundo reporter Iris Delgado was allegedly punched in the head on live TV while reporting outside Philadelphia City Hall on Wednesday night at bout 11 p.m.

The suspect entered the frame and approached Delgado, who was finishing up a report about the city’s proposed soda tax, said excuse me twice while tapping on Delgado’s right arm, and then delivered blows to the back of the head and face. See the disturbing clip embedded below.

“Ever the professional. Delgado simply ignores her — although looks slightly irked — as she passes to a male reporter back in the studio. But as he takes over, the woman suddenly grabs Delgado by her hair and violently yanks her backwards before punching her in the face,” the Daily Mail explained.

Back at the Telemundo 62 studio, the shocked news anchor exclaimed “ay Dios mio” (“oh my God”) and continued on with his script.

It has yet to be determined what provoked or motivated the attack on the field reporter who was punched three times, according to TMZ.

An account published today in the Philadelphia Inquirer indicates that cops arrested the suspect shortly after the incident thanks to Delgado’s co-workers.

“The news crew that accompanied Delgado pushed the woman, identified by police as Waheedah Wilson, away after she struck their colleague. The crew then followed Wilson for [a] block before she was arrested. Wilson, 37…was charged with simple assault and recklessly endangering another person. She is awaiting a preliminary hearing after failing to post bail, according to public records.”

“According to court documents, Wilson’s rap sheet features arrests in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2011, 2012, and 2014. She was found guilty of drug charges three years after the 2004 arrest and pleaded guilty to a contempt for violation of agreement in 2012. The other cases were either dismissed or withdrawn,” Philly Voice claimed.

A Telemundo reporter for about three years, Iris Delgado covers the Hispanic community in metro Philadelphia, south Jersey, and Delaware. After the assault, she reportedly experienced pain to the right side of her head but declined immediate treatment at that time. In the aftermath of the assault, the station gave her two days off in advance of an already-scheduled vacation, Philly Voice added. Delgado is said to be doing okay, fortunately.

A Philadelphia City Council committee voted on Wednesday to impose a 1.5 cent-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks, which was a compromise from the original three-cents per ounce tax. The new tax, which goes to a final vote before the full council on June 16, could provide about $90 million in new revenue to fund the city’s “universal prekindergarten, community schools, and park improvements, according to Mayor Jim Kenney,” the Associated Press reported.

If enacted, the City of Brotherly Love would be first large U.S. metropolis to impose a levy on such drinks. Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg tried to ban large sugary drinks in 16-ounce-plus containers outright, but a state court struck down the ordinance.

Neither Delgado or Telemundo 62 have issued a comment as yet about the incident outside City Hall, which very sadly gives a new meaning to the TV term “live shot.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-J0POelsvw

“Even at a time of rampant crime, it’s pretty astounding to watch a woman attack a reporter live on-air, as happened Wednesday night in Philadelphia,” Broadcasting & Cable noted.

There have been a lot of recent instances on live television where freewheeling bystanders act out behind a reporter or shout profanities into the microphone, but this disturbing incident goes well beyond a mere prank for social media consumption.

“Journalist Iris Delgado was reminded about the hazards of her profession and the perils of live on-site broadcasts in an unexpected way Wednesday night,” Western Journalism observed.

[Image via Shutterstock]