A reporter was struck with a rubber bullet from police while covering the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protests in Los Angeles over the weekend.
Footage shows Lauren Tomasi, a U.S. correspondent for Australia’s 9News, describing the scene for viewers while specifically mentioning police’s use of rubber bullets.
After telling the camera that police are firing “rubber bullets at protesters” in “the heart of LA,” a loud boom is heard in the background, followed by an officer to the left of the frame firing in Tomasi’s direction. Tomasi screams as she’s hit, at which point the camera turns away and the clip ultimately cuts off.
“I’m okay,” Tomasi later said. “My cameraman, Jimmy, and I are both safe. This is just one of the unfortunate realities of reporting on these kinds of incidents.”
Per 9News, Tomasi “was left sore but otherwise unharmed” after being hit by the rubber bullet. A statement attributed to a spokesperson for 9News publisher Nine confirmed that the reporter and the camera operator will continue covering the protests moving forward, with this moment serving as “a stark reminder of the inherent dangers” of frontline journalism.
Complex has reached out to 9News and the LAPD for comment. This story may be updated.
Australian politician Sarah Hanson-Young was quick to respond to the widely circulated footage, calling it “shocking.” Hanson-Young also called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to directly tell Trump to “stop his cops shooting at our journalists.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom, meanwhile, has addressed a threat from Trump’s so-called “border czar,” Tom Homan.
“Come after me, arrest me,” Newsom said during a recent MSNBC interview. “Let’s just get it over with, tough guy.”
As has been seen time and time again throughout history, the usual suspects are attempting to frame what’s happening in Los Angeles right now as being unprovoked chaos on the part of the protesters themselves. This bullshit narrative, of course, conveniently ignores the impact of an overzealous law enforcement presence, not to mention the undeniably dire nature of the larger situation playing out in Los Angeles, and elsewhere, at the moment.
These are dark times indeed.