Australian reporter Lauren Tomasi was reporting live in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday when an officer shot her with a rubber bullet, according to her network, 9News Australia.
Demonstrations continued on Sunday after riots first erupted on Friday over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in the Los Angeles region. Tomasi yelped in pain as the bullet hit her leg, which she raised and clutched, but said she was fine immediately afterward, according to the network’s video posted on X on Sunday.
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“You okay?” someone off-camera asked.
“Yeah, I’m good, I’m good,” Tomasi replied.
While the bullet reportedly caused soreness for Tomasi, she said on her network Monday that she was fine.
“I’m okay. My cameraman Jimmy and I are both safe,” Tomasi said. “This is just one of the unfortunate realities of reporting on these kinds of incidents.”
Federal agents conducting ICE operations arrested over 100 illegal immigrants, including people with gang and drug trafficking allegations, prompting significant unrest. President Donald Trump on Saturday announced the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles after two days of violence.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a Saturday statement alleging rioters “assaulted ICE law enforcement officers, slashed tires, defaced buildings, and taxpayer funded property” on Friday.
Although the protests were violent and destructive, legacy media outlets opted not to call them “riots,” instead describing them “protests.”
For instance, ABC News published a Sunday piece with a headline that even noted the demonstrations were “violent,” but the outlet still refrained from using the term “rioters” except in quotes by ICE acting Director Todd Lyons. It also reported that there were “clashes between protesters and police” and that “multiple people were seen looting a gas station store in Paramount.”
Clashes between federal immigration officers and demonstrators intensified on Saturday, leading to fires, broken windows and injuries.
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