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Legal representatives acting for a producer from Chicago's WGN television station who was temporarily detained by government officers last week describe the incident as "an occurrence that ought to alarm and horrify each individual in this country".

Particulars of the Arrest

The journalist, a American national and WGN employee, was arrested on the weekend by federal agents during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood. Footage from the location show Brockman being pushed down by two agents before she is handcuffed and placed in a van.

At the time, a government spokesperson stated that Brockman "hurled items at an official vehicle" and was "detained for attacking an officer".

Subsequently that day, the television station confirmed that their employee had been freed from detention and that no charges had been pressed against her.

Legal Team's Reaction

In a news release issued by attorneys acting for the journalist on Tuesday, her legal team challenged the government's account. They declared they "adamantly deny any allegation that she attacked anyone" and that "She was the one who was violently assaulted by federal agents on her way to work" on 10 October.

Her lawyers explain that at the moment of the detainment, the journalist was "not acting in any official role as an employee for WGN" but that she was just "walking to the bus stop as part of her morning commute when she was attacked by Border Patrol agents.

"Brockman, who is a American citizen born in this country, was violently detained on a city street," the release continues. "As this happened, individuals on the street began filming the incident and inquired her her name."

The statement says that she told the onlookers her name and that she was employed at the station, in the hopes that "someone would notify her workplace so colleagues would know that she would not be arriving at work that day", her attorneys said.

Aftermath and Next Steps

Based on her legal team, Brockman was held in federal custody for about several hours before being freed.

"The individual has not been charged with any offenses and she plans to explore all legal options available to her to vindicate her entitlements and hold the federal authorities accountable for their actions," the statement adds.

"Brad Thomson, one of her attorneys, added in the statement: "If equipped, masked, federal agents are snatching American nationals off the street as they walk to work and placing them in non-descript cars, you can only imagine what these officers must be willing to do to our immigrant neighbors and people who dare to speak out against them."

"Ms Brockman was forced down, battered, restrained, and her pants were pulled down exposing her bare buttocks," Thomson said. "No one should be handled like that in this metropolis, in this country or anywhere else in the world."

ICE, the federal agency, and the US Customs and Border Protection did not provide a prompt reply to requests for comment from news outlets.