'TODAY' Show Intruder Arrested, Allegedly Hurled Racial Slur, Lunged at Craig Melvin
'TODAY' Show Intruder Arrested ... Allegedly Hurled Slur, Lunged at Craig Melvin
Published
|
Updated
UPDATE
3:19 PM PT -- The man who allegedly stormed NBC's "TODAY" show offices, lunged at Craig Melvin and called him the N-word is now facing a slew of hate crime charges ... TMZ has learned.
11:05 AM PT -- NBC News' TODAY tells TMZ ... "There was a security incident this morning at the TODAY show studio. An individual entered an unauthorized area in a vestibule near Studio 1A. The person approached anchor Craig Melvin, who alerted security. The individual was detained and taken into custody by law enforcement without further incident. There was no altercation, and no one was injured."
They continue ... "TODAY is cooperating fully with law enforcement as they investigate the matter. NBC and TODAY take the safety and security of our employees, talent, staff and guests extremely seriously. We are reviewing the incident and our security protocols and remain committed to providing a safe and secure environment for everyone who works at and visits our studios."
A terrifying security breach rocked the "TODAY" show Thursday morning ... a stranger breached security and stormed inside the building from the plaza before allegedly lunging at NBC host Craig Melvin.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the man was asking for Al Roker after somehow slipping past security. We’re told he couldn't find Roker and turned his attention to confront Craig in a restricted area and allegedly lunged at him while yelling the N-word at him.
We’re told the incident happened around 9 AM ET and that staff and security rushed in -- and the intruder was ultimately detained and arrested. The man, who we're told is white and was unarmed, had entered a stairwell and made his way backstage -- we're told near the dressing room, though where exactly is unclear.
A photo taken inside the studio shows Craig surrounded by several people in the aftermath of the frightening encounter.
The incident was not captured during the broadcast. Nobody was hurt. Roughly 15 minutes after it all went down, both Craig and Al were on air, and neither hinted at the drama.
Afterward, our TMZ cameras caught a heavy police presence on the scene outside of the building.
We're told the incident has staff demanding answers about how an unauthorized stranger managed to trail one of the show’s biggest stars off the publicly accessible plaza and get so deep inside the building undetected.
