Lauren Tomasi, a US reporter for Australia’s 9News was reporting from the scene where violent clashes took place at downtown LA when she got shot by a rubber bullet.
The protests were in response to President Donald Trump’s controversial immigration crackdown, with some protesters setting vehicles on fire near the Metropolitan Detention Centre.
In the morning, only small groups of protesters took the streets, but by the afternoon, thousands rioters joined in and the situation escalated quickly.
At the time Tomasi was reporting live from 257 E Temple Street, she explained that the LAPD was “After hours of standing off, this situation has now rapidly deteriorated, the LAPD moving in on horseback, firing rubber bullets at protesters, moving them on through the heart of LA.” Moments later, she got shot.
A bystander cried out, “You just f**king shot the reporter.”
As a passerby came up to see if she was okay, she said, “I’m good,” and kept calm.
A footage by Nine News showed that an officer aimed at the reporter deliberately when he shot the rubber bullet.
“He aims right at her,” one person posted on X. “No one in between them. No chance of it being a missed shot. A purposeful close-range shot at an unarmed journalist, who was walking away.”
The network issued a statement, writing, “Lauren Tomasi was struck by a rubber bullet. Lauren and her camera operator are safe and will continue their essential work covering these events. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the inherent dangers journalists can face while reporting from the frontlines of protests, underscoring the importance of their role in providing vital information.”
Australia’s Greens Senator Sarah Hanson‑Young described the incident as “simply shocking” and “completely unacceptable.” She urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to demand answers from the US.
“The first thing he must tell the president is to stop shooting at our journalists,” she said via The Independent. “Freedom of the press is a fundamental pillar of a strong, functioning democracy.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass asked from the residents to stop the violence.
“Angelenos — do not take part in violence and chaos. Don’t give the administration what it wants,” she posted on X.
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