Lauren Tomasi, the U.S. correspondent for Australia’s 9News, seemed to be shot by a rubber bullet whereas reporting on the immigration protests in Los Angeles.
9News printed footage of the incident, claiming that Tomasi was intentionally focused by a police officer within the downtown district throughout the third day of clashes over Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
The video captures her wrapping up a reside broadcast from the protests, telling viewers that the “scenario has now quickly deteriorated, the LAPD shifting in on horseback, firing rubber bullets at protesters, shifting them on via the center of L.A.”
A police officer then seems to boost their gun in Tomasi’s path and hearth. A projectile seems to hit her leg, and Tomasi cries out in ache. The reporter and her cameraperson then retreat, with a bystander shouting: “You simply f*****g shot the reporter!” She is requested if she is okay, to which Tomasi replies: “I’m good, I’m good.”
In a press release shared with The Guardian, 9News stated: “Lauren Tomasi was struck by a rubber bullet. Lauren and her digicam operator are secure and can proceed their important work masking these occasions.”
“This incident serves as a stark reminder of the inherent risks journalists can face whereas reporting from the frontlines of protests, underscoring the significance of their function in offering important data,” the community stated on Monday.”
Australian lawmaker Sarah Hanson-Younger urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to boost the incident with U.S. President Donald Trump, describing it as “stunning” and “utterly unacceptable.”
Tomasi isn’t the one journalist to be caught up within the protests. Nick Stern, a British information photographer, reportedly wanted emergency surgical procedure after sustaining a leg wound throughout the clashes. There have been additionally stories of journalists being harassed by protestors.