A CBS News crew was allegedly ambushed by a group of men in a shocking racist attack near one of Chicago’s most popular tourist attractions.

The frightening confrontation unfolded near the Adler Planetarium, where a local CBS-affiliated reporter and photographer were working when three men pulled up in a white tow truck, according to CBS News.

Witnesses said the truck suddenly parked directly in front of the journalists’ vehicle, blocking their path before the situation quickly turned violent.

“They just were trying to do anything they could to scare them unnecessarily,” one witness said. “It came out of nowhere.”

A man described as white or Hispanic allegedly climbed out of the tow truck with a dog and aggressively moved toward the news crew.

Witnesses claimed the man began hurling racial slurs at the photographer, who is Black.

“It started racial with the cameraman because he’s an African American male,” a witness said.

Chicago police said the man allegedly ordered the dog to attack the crew, but the animal did not obey.

“I think he was trying to intimidate the cameraman,” another witness said. “Make him scared by having the dog approach first.”

When a member of the news crew attempted to protect himself from the dog, two more men reportedly jumped out of the tow truck and joined the chaos.

“They were saying, ‘Leave the dog alone,’” a witness recalled.

The witness said the attackers appeared to lose control of the situation and began smashing anything they could before fleeing.

One man allegedly destroyed the photographer’s camera, while another used a traffic cone to bash the news crew’s vehicle.

The three men then sped away in the tow truck.

Police said the suspects were arrested about 20 minutes later after allegedly becoming involved in another disturbing incident several miles away.

Authorities received reports that people inside a tow truck were pointing a gun at pedestrians near 42nd Street and Western Avenue in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood.

The suspects allegedly fled again, but police officers tracked down the truck. The vehicle later crashed into a squad car, authorities said.

A gun was reportedly recovered from inside the tow truck, although police said it was not used during the alleged attack on the CBS crew.

“We didn’t see any guns in that moment, but to know that it escalated to that or could have been that is just terrifying,” a witness said.

CBS said its employees were not seriously injured.

“We are shocked and horrified by this crime,” a network spokesperson said. “And we are grateful that our journalists are safe.”

Charges against the three suspects were still pending as police continued their investigation.