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The streets of Democrat-controlled Baltimore are rough<\/a> this year. Street violence is common<\/a>. That hasn\u2019t stopped an Apple TV+ miniseries from filming in the city, though.<\/p>\n The predictable happened last Friday afternoon when production had to be shut down for Natalie Portman\u2019s \u201cLady in the Lake\u201d. Allegedly, some Baltimore locals threatened to shoot someone on the set of the limited series. That claim was disputed<\/a> as the Baltimore Police Department released the news.<\/p>\n According to a statement from the Baltimore Police Department that has since been disputed, \u201cthe locals\u201d warned producers of the forthcoming series \u201cLady in the Lake\u201d that they would \u201ccome back later this evening [and] shoot someone\u201d if they didn\u2019t stop filming in the 200 block of Park Avenue. The Baltimore residents then told producers that they would \u201callow the production to continue\u201d if the producers paid them $50,000, police said Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n A report from a local news outlet referred to the extortionists as drug dealers and said that the producers refused to accommodate them. The cast and crew were told to clear out or someone would be shot. The Baltimore Police Department spokesperson James Moses said, \u201cThe leaders of the production decided to err on the side of caution and reschedule the shoot after they found another location.\u201d<\/p>\n A statement <\/a>was given to the L.A. Times by Endeavor Content.<\/p>\n In a statement provided Sunday evening to The Times, however, Endeavor Content clarified that two men confronted and brandished a gun at a driver on the \u201cLady in the Lake\u201d production crew Friday before fleeing the scene. The incident occurred before the rest of the cast and crew arrived on set, a representative for the production company said.<\/p>\n The Times was later informed that no producers were present during the altercation, contrary to the police report.<\/p>\n The Baltimore Police Department did not immediately respond Monday to The Times\u2019 request for comment, but WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore reporter David Collins tweeted that police are \u201cinvestigating possible discrepancies in the extortion complaint made Friday on the set of the Apple plus series Lady in the Lake.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe safety and security of our crew, cast and all who work across our productions is our highest priority, and we are thankful no one was injured. Production will resume with increased security measures going forward,\u201d the Endeavor Content rep said, noting that law enforcement is still investigating the event.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has been a privilege filming \u2018Lady in the Lake\u2019 in Baltimore, working with its vibrant community across many areas. Our thanks and appreciation to the City of Baltimore, Mayor Brandon M. Scott, the Baltimore Film Office, Maryland Film Office and the Baltimore Police Department for their incredible support as we continue production in the great City of Baltimore and surrounding communities.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n So, fortunately no one was hurt or shot and there are some conflicting statements going around. Today it is being reported that an arrest has been made. The suspect is a street vendor who was angry that the miniseries production was causing him to lose business. He wanted compensation<\/a> for lost sales.<\/p>\n The Baltimore Police Department confirms to EW that Keith L. Brown, a local street vendor of Pikesville, Md., \u201cwas upset that he had not been compensated by the production for lost business, since he could not operate his clothing business while the crew was filming at that location.\u201d<\/p>\n Brown informed detectives that he had spoken with a crew member and a security manager for the miniseries and was awaiting paperwork to receive compensation. Brown was arrested on Monday on a narcotics charge.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n It\u2019s unclear if the man is a drug dealer but he was arrested on a narcotics charge. Detectives are interviewing additional individuals. The investigation is open and on-going. As a precaution, production is paused.<\/p>\n Natalie Portman and Obi-Wan Kenobi actress Moses Ingram star in \u201cLady in the Lake\u201d. It is based on author Laura Lippman\u2019s New York Times best-seller of the same name. It is a story set in the 1960s in Baltimore. Ironically, Portman\u2019s character becomes inspired by an unsolved murder to reinvent her life from housewife into to investigative journalist, given the record number of murders recorded in Baltimore this year to date.<\/p>\n\n
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