The arrest is confirmed by various news groups. The arrested reporter says the officer taking the first guy said he was just following orders and did not know why he was helping to arrest the reporter.
And it looks like they later confirmed the ID's of the CNN reporters, and the guys are back out there
This was a state police op, it seems . . . not the local Minneapolis police.
Officers in riot gear had just taken a protester who had broken the line; that apprehension appeared nonviolent, just riot geared guys running to intercept the protester who just stood still when met by the officers. And it seems the reporters were nearby. I see how the reporters in the same vicinity could have been misunderstood . . . though they did identify themselves. It was possibly in the momentum of stopping the one violator of the line, that a supervisor associated the crew with the protester . . . especially if the super was getting verbal feedback and not what was clear on the news footage . . . which was live. It does seem likely that someone viewing from a distance had given orders, and likely was not watching TV which showed it all live.
Even so, the report is the guys on the ground showed their badges. But do on-the-ground troopers all know badges, and how well does this work when they're getting orders from a distance?
This is more or less of a war zone situation; so imperfect people can make mistakes and be confused. The reporters handled it well, and it seems they were not abused. But if you do things which can set off an abusive person . . . this is why I always am even hospitable with any police officer while I am being checked. I know ones can be domestic abusers and short-tempered; so I play it safe.
But George was indeed apparently not being combative. And the mayor says he expects a murder charge.