Australian reporter shot with rubber bullet while covering anti-Ice protests in Los Angeles
An Australian reporter has been shot with a rubber bullet while reporting on protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles, with the incident caught live on camera.
US authorities, including the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and national guard troops, clashed with crowds of demonstrators on Sunday. They were protesting against Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.
Nine News US correspondent Lauren Tomasi was reporting to camera when shot. She said that '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'.
Seconds later, Tomasi was shot with a rubber bullet. Footage posted to social media by Nine showed an officer taking aim in the direction of the reporter and her camera operator and then firing.
Tomasi can be heard crying out and seen grabbing her calf. A bystander can be heard telling the officer: 'You just fucking shot the reporter!'
In response to bystanders asking her if she was OK, Tomasi responded: 'I'm good.'
U.S. Correspondent Lauren Tomasi has been caught in the crossfire as the LAPD fired rubber bullets at protesters in the heart of Los Angeles. #9NewsLATEST: https://t.co/l5w7JxixxB pic.twitter.com/nvQ7m9TGLj
According to Nine, the protest was focused on 'the Metropolitan Detention Centre in downtown Los Angeles, where people were detained after earlier immigration raids'.
Nine said in a statement: '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,' the network said on Monday.
Geolocation from the video put Tomasi at 257 E Temple Street, Los Angeles, the same block where the LA field office for immigration and customs enforcement (Ice) is located. It's the focus of the protests.
The LAPD had issued an 'unlawful assembly' notice for the area and earlier advised 'media partners, please keep a safe distance from active operations'.
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Australian Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young urged the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, to seek 'an urgent explanation' from the US administration.
Albanese may talk with Trump next week at the G7 conference in Canada although a meeting has not yet been confirmed.
Hanson-Young said authorities shooting an Australian journalist was 'simply shocking' and 'completely unacceptable'.
'The first thing he [Albanese] must tell the president is to stop shooting at our journalists,' the Greens senator said. 'Freedom of the press is a fundamental pillar of a strong, functioning democracy.'
The LAPD was contacted for comment.
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