Photos Lead to Charges

A student journalist in San Francisco who had photographed students breaking into a car was arraigned Thursday on two misdemeanor counts in connection with the incident.

Omar Vega, 18, pleaded not guilty in San Francisco Superior Court to second-degree misdemeanor burglary and tampering with a vehicle or its contents, said his attorney, Emilia Mayorga.

Vega took the photographs as part of a project documenting college dorm life. The shots have since sparked a heated ethical debate among some photojournalists over whether Vega should have intervened rather than photographing the incident.

The San Francisco State freshman was arrested about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday by university police immediately after his mass communications class.

“I was arrested as soon as I stepped out of the classroom door,” Vega said. “They treated me like a criminal. It was overwhelming.”

The incident occurred Oct. 24 when a student found a set of car keys outside a campus dormitory. About six friends set out to find the car that matched the keys and Vega followed.

After the students found the car by pressing the remote’s panic and unlock button, it is alleged that they rummaged inside the car and stole CDs and $8.

The students then tossed the keys into bushes and returned to the dorm.

Vega took pictures of the incident, but the student newspaper decided against running them. Vega posted five black-and-white photos of the incident on a website for professional photographers.

After the incident, Vega was ordered out of his dormitory by the university because he “demonstrated disregard for a fellow resident’s personal property and the policies of the license agreement and the student code of conduct.”

Vega said he didn’t do anything wrong. His pretrial court date is March 2.