Democrat Attacked Live On-Air During TV Interview

A live televised interview with Democratic mayoral hopeful Sheila Dixon was stopped on Wednesday after an unidentified individual began hurling objects at the Baltimore politician and heckling her, within her own home.

Dixon, who served as mayor of Baltimore from 2007 to 2010 and is seeking the Democratic nomination to run again in 2024, was being interviewed via video link by WBFF Fox45 anchor Patrice Sanders when the incident took place.

Footage was posted on TikTok where it was widely viewed, with one clip accumulating 860 comments, most of which expressed sympathy with Dixon over the situation.

According to local news website The Baltimore Banner, Dixon had a cold during the interview, and she spoke with a distinctly croaky voice throughout. The former mayor was promoting a public safety town hall due to take place later that day in South Baltimore, hosted by her along with WBFF Fox45 and local Councilman Eric Costello.

Asked about residents "biggest concerns" over crime Dixon responded: "So three things. One people don't feel safe, people are afraid. Carjackings, theft, stealing cars, and people want to see the presence of officers in their community engaged with them, walking the beat, talking to them, getting to know the residents and that's not happening."

At this point an item, which appeared to be an article of clothing, flew by Dixon's face slightly brushing her. Appearing unperturbed, she continued: "Yesterday I saw police officers that were in an area, but they were in their cars, not doing what they need to do."

Dixon was then hit by more pieces of clothing, pushing her camera down before she raised it again. As Sanders asked a question about policing, an unidentified and off-screen male could be heard talking loudly. Sanders glanced at the male repeatedly, and at one point appeared to mouth something to him, but without effect.

Sanders noted there was "a lot of feedback there" and checked Dixon could hear her questions before asking whether police and prosecutors had their "hands tied," preventing them from holding criminals accountable.

She replied: "But we can hold them accountable, we can do something and we need to, and the police officers have a responsibility to do things." During the statement another item, which again appeared to be clothing, flew past Dixon and there was more loud talking from the male voice.

Ending the interview Sanders commented: "We hear that you're fighting though this, um, so we're going to let you conserve your voice and we'll see you tonight."

Newsweek has approached Dixon's 2024 Baltimore mayoral campaign for comment by email.

Responding to the video, several TikTok commentators expressed their concern about the situation. One posted: "Looks like she needs to talk with police about her personal safety."

A second wrote: "This is so incredibly sad, I hope she gets safe soon."

A third questioned whether the interviewer should have intervened, commenting: "She needs help right now and the anchor never asked if she's OK. Said she was fighting, but didn't ask her if she was OK."

Dixon became Baltimore mayor in January 2007 after her predecessor was sworn in as the governor of Maryland. She was replaced in 2010 after being convicted of embezzlement, stepping down as part of a plea deal that saw her receive probation.