Moment reporter shot with rubber bullet during LA protest coverage
An Australian TV reporter, Lauren Tomasi of 9News, was struck in the leg by a rubber bullet fired by the LAPD while reporting live near protests in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 8, 2025.
The incident occurred in downtown Los Angeles during the third day of unrest.
Tomasi was shot moments after finishing a live cross to Australia.
The camera captured an officer turning his weapon and firing at Tomasi as officers began firing rubber bullets at protesters.
An onlooker exclaimed, "F***, you shot the reporter!" after the incident.
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Telegraph
25 minutes ago
- Telegraph
LA police shot my photographer in the head
A pepper ball round thwacks my colleague in the side of the head as we run away from police. A cloud of the irritant fills the air, coating my goggles, followed by a crackle and the glare of flash bangs. 'Go, go, go!' he shouts. Police officers are firing into the crowd protesting against Donald Trump's immigration crackdown in downtown Los Angeles. Once again, reporters appear to be in the crosshairs. Jon Putman, The Telegraph's photographer, took a blow to the head, one of many journalists hit or detained since protests broke out on Friday. Jon was struck in the ear, narrowly avoiding a serious injury. 'If it hit me right in the head it would have knocked me down and I would have been out of commission,' he said. Los Angeles is being heavily militarised. Mr Trump sent in 1,700 of National Guard over the weekend, and a further 700 marines on Monday. There are now more US soldiers here than in Syria. We weren't the only journalists to come under fire amidst the protests on Monday night, which appear to be shrinking in scale but not intensity. There have been more than two dozen attacks on reporters covering the Los Angeles riots in the past few days, with clearly identified members of the press having been shot at point-blank range by police officers. An Australian broadcaster was shot in the leg, a New York Post photographer in the head and a CNN reporter was briefly detained live on air. British photojournalist Nick Stern required emergency surgery after being shot by an explosive round on Saturday. Sergio Olmos, an investigative reporter for the nonprofit news outlet CalMatters, told the Washington Post that he had never seen more non-lethal rounds used at a protest. On Monday evening, the smell of paint lingered in the air in Los Angeles as teenagers spray painted the pavements, walls and bus stops with slogans such as 'fight hate with hate' and 'I'll be here till I decide not to be'. Snipers stationed on the roof of the Federal Building watched through binoculars as protesters climbed traffic lights and revved their motorcycles. A black Cybertruck graffitied with 'f--- ICE' [US Immigration and Customs Enforcement] was filmed driving around the protest with a Mexican flag attached to the back. On Sunday, demonstrators torched self-driving cars, threw Molotov cocktails, fireworks and scooters at police officers. Officers have fired non-lethal rounds into crowds, and in at least one instance were filmed firing pepper ball rounds (small plastic bullets filled with irritant) point blank at a protester before hitting him with batons. In another, ICE officers swept in on a man in a yellow jacket before tackling him to the ground and arresting him, while other protesters were detained, their hands zip-tied behind their backs, and put into police vans. The protests erupted in the city on Friday in response to ICE officers conducting a string of raids as part of Mr Trump's aggressive immigration policies. More than 40 people – said to be day labourers – were targeted at a Home Depot car park and Ambiance Apparel, a clothing manufacturer, in LA's fashion district. The crackdown is the Trump administration's latest test to the limits to his presidential authority to force Democrat-run states to adhere to federal decree, while also attempting to show its might by ordering troops onto the streets. US Marines have been deployed domestically for major disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the September 11 attacks in 2001, but it is extremely rare for the military to be used for domestic policing. When all the deployed officers arrive, it will mean there are more than 4,000 troops in Los Angeles, more than double the number of US troops in Syria. The news of yet more reinforcements further inflamed tensions between Gavin Newsom, the California governor, and Mr Trump, who continued to publicly attack each other on Monday. Mr Newsom, who has sued the administration to try and block the deployment of marines and troops, accused the Trump administration of mistreating those already in the city, of which only 300 have so far have been deployed. Sharing a picture of troops dressed in fatigues sleeping on the floor, Mr Newsom wrote: 'If anyone is treating our troops disrespectfully, it is you.' He urged the US president to 'grow up' and urged him 'get it over with, arrest me, move on, if you need some head to scalp do it with me'. Justifying the decision to deploy troops to Los Angeles, Kristi Noem, secretary of homeland security, claimed ICE agents were targeting the 'worst of the worst' – criminal illegal immigrants hiding among law-abiding communities. But advocates for immigrants' rights have argued that day labourers being detained outside Home Depot stores suggests otherwise. Julie Flores, 21, wrapped herself in a Mexican flag as she stood on the bonnet of a black car sprayed with the words 'f--- ICE'. The student told The Telegraph the protests 'hit close to home' because her father Jerry Flores, 39, who is originally from Guerrero in Mexico was detained by agents when she was at middle school. 'My grandma would probably not like me being out here... we're out here showing our support, doing the best we can do,' she said. On Monday, Karen Bass, the Los Angeles mayor, condemned the ICE raids, claiming they had brought 'fear and terror' to the streets of Los Angeles and were to blame for the unrest. Yurien, 20, found out ICE agents were targeting her father Mario's work at Ambiance Apparel when he messaged her to tell her he was hiding. 'I said 'OK dad, I love you, don't make any noise… I told him I loved him again. He said 'me too, I love you guys…' and since then, I haven't had communication with him,' she told The Telegraph. Yurien, who did not want to give her last name, said she raced to the workplace in downtown Los Angeles and saw her father, who is from Mexico and has lived in the US for decades, being escorted to a van and driven away. 'I felt devastated, mad, angry... because there was nothing I could do to stop it,' she said, clutching a poster which read 'dad, come back home'. University student Montserrat Arrazola, 22, also saw her father being detained by ICE agents on Friday after she rushed to Ambiance Apparel when she saw the raid was happening on TikTok. Speaking to The Telegraph after a press conference outside the clothing manufacturer on Monday morning, she said: 'I felt powerless. I felt like I had my hands tied because I couldn't do anything.' She has managed to speak to her father, Jorge, who moved to the US from Mexico 'many years ago' on the phone once since then. He said he was okay. 'I have a lot of emotions running through me. I can't really explain,' she said, adding that she had not been to any of the protests that have broken out in response. Joanna Lopez, 17, discovered three of her uncles, who had all moved to the US from Mexico as teenagers, had been detained on Friday after she also saw it unfold on social media. 'I just feel for everybody whose families are being taken away right now,' she said. Ms Lopez, who attended the protest later that day, said she was 'very disappointed' in the people who had turned to violence and vandalism, adding that it portrays the scores of peaceful protesters in a bad light.
Reuters
34 minutes ago
- Reuters
What are the 'less lethal' weapons used by law enforcement in Los Angeles protests?
WASHINGTON, June 10 (Reuters) - Law enforcement officials in Los Angeles began deploying "less lethal" munitions on Sunday as they clashed with crowds protesting federal immigration raids. "Less lethal" or "less-than-lethal" weapons are designed to cause pain and discomfort, normally to disperse hostile crowds, but have caused serious injury and death in the past. Here is a list of the less lethal weapons that have been deployed in Los Angeles in recent days, according to Reuters witnesses and the Los Angeles Police Department. Media outlets, and a reporter hit in the leg by a projectile on Sunday, have said LAPD officers have been firing rubber bullets, a metal casing covered in rubber. In fact, the LAPD do not use rubber bullets, the department told Reuters. Instead, the LAPD uses foam rounds, a condensed sponge projectile that resembles a hard Nerf ball. One version, which has a plastic body with a hard foam nose, is fired from a 40mm launcher and usually aimed directly at a target. A second version, fired from a 37mm launcher, disperses five foam baton rounds toward the ground in front of a hostile crowd once an unlawful assembly has been declared, before bouncing up into the crowd. It is not to be fired directly at individuals, the LAPD said. Both are designed to cause pain on impact without penetrating the skin. Police are forbidden from aiming sponge rounds at the head, neck, groin, and spine. Bean bag rounds are normally 37mm cloth bags filled with 1.4 oz of lead or rubber pellets. They are fired from shotguns and spread out as they fly toward the intended target. They are designed not to penetrate the skin but to cause an impact hard enough to render a target temporarily immobile. Flash bangs, otherwise known as "distraction devices" or "noise flash diversionary devices," produce an ear-piercing bang and bright light to disorient targets by temporarily disrupting their sight and hearing. They are often used to target protesters who have become violent in a section of a crowd, and also to allow police to enter a section of a crowd to extract offenders. One type of flash bang device that has been used in Los Angeles is the 40mm aerial flash bang. These are launched into the air and ignite above the heads of protesters. Tear gas, one of the most common riot control tools, is designed to temporarily incapacitate people by causing excessive irritation to the eyes, nose, lungs, and skin. It can cause temporary blindness, streaming eyes and nose, coughing, chest tightness, and difficulty breathing. Tear gas canisters usually contain CS gas, a chemical compound, or OC gas, which stands for oleoresin capsicum, the active ingredient in pepper spray. Pepper spray, which has similar impacts as tear gas, is sprayed from a handheld canister and is often used when police come into close quarters with rioters or are engaged in hand-to-hand encounters. It mainly irritates the eyes, causing temporary blindness. Pepper balls mirror the effects of pepper spray, but are delivered in a projectile similar to a paintball. On impact, it bursts open, releasing powdered OC into the air. Police often do not fire pepper balls directly at a person, but at street signs, onto buildings or into the ground to cause them to burst open. Known as the oldest less lethal weapon, the baton has been used for crowd control for decades. Police officers have been using batons to push and strike protesters in recent days.
Telegraph
34 minutes ago
- Telegraph
CNN reporter detained during LA protests live on air
A CNN reporter was detained by police live on air while covering the protests in Los Angeles. Jason Carroll was led away by officers on Monday night with his hands held behind his back, despite identifying himself as a correspondent with the broadcaster. 'I'm being detained… I'm not being arrested, correct officers?' he could be heard saying, as he was taken outside a security perimeter. Mr Carroll, who appears to have been detained for under 30 seconds, said the incident was unusual because police normally 'realise that the press is there doing a job'. 'You take a lot of risks as press – this is low on that sort of scale of risks. But it is something that I wasn't expecting, simply because we've been out here all day,' he said. Carroll: I was walking over to the officer, tried to explain who I was, who I was with. He said, I'd like you to turn around. I turned around, I put my hands behind my back. They did not put me in zip ties, but they did grab both my hands as I was escorted over to the side, they… — Acyn (@Acyn) June 10, 2025 CNN said two of its security personnel were also briefly detained by the police before being released without charge. Several journalists were shot by officers using non-lethal rounds as they covered the protests over the weekend, including Nick Stern, a British photographer, The New York Post's Toby Canham, and Australian TV reporter Lauren Tomasi. Anthony Albanese, the Australian prime minister, described Ms Tomasi's experience as 'horrific' and said he had raised the issue with the US government. Donald Trump deployed 2,000 members of the National Guard to Los Angeles over the weekend, prompting a power struggle with Gavin Newsom, the California governor, and a further 700 US marines were expected to arrive on Monday night. On Monday, Mr Newsom announced he would sue the Trump administration over the deployments, accusing the US president of seeking to inflame the demonstrations that erupted over immigration raids. 'It's a blatant abuse of power. We will sue to stop this,' he said on social media. 'The Courts and Congress must act. Checks and balances are crumbling. This is a red line – and they're crossing it. Wake up!' However, John Fetterman, the Democrat senator for Pennsylvania, has criticised his party for failing to call out 'anarchy and true chaos', which have seen cars torches and shops looted. 'My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement,' he said. White House sources have said they view the riots as a political opportunity that would put the Democrats on the side of protesters and against the views of the majority of Americans. 'We couldn't script this any better... Democrats are again on the '20' side of an 80-20 issue,' a person close to the administration told Politico. 'We're happy to have this fight,' a White House official quoted by NBC News said. A Trump adviser said the government's response was 'what America voted for' in last year's election, adding: 'This is the America First focus that got the president elected and is driven by nothing else than what he promised American voters.' Tensions have flared elsewhere in the US, with protesters clashing with law enforcement and being arrested in Dallas and Austin at rallies against immigration and customs enforcement (ICE). Mr Trump is also using the opportunity to push his 'one big, beautiful' tax-and-spend bill through the Senate, Axios reported. Republican senators are apparently being told by the president they need to pass the legislation, which is facing an uncertain passage through Congress, to release federal funds for immigration enforcement. 'It's the best BBB [big beautiful bill] marketing ever. It has brought the critical nature of increased border funding and immigration enforcement to the fore,' said Andrew Kolvet, spokesman for conservative group Turning Point USA. He added: 'Everyone we're talking to in the Senate says this put it over the top.' Trump could invoke Insurrection Act Mr Trump labelled rioters 'insurrectionists', prompting speculation he could invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act, which would allow deployed troops to arrest protesters. Currently, their role is limited to supporting police rather than directly participating in law enforcement. When asked if he would invoke the Insurrection Act, Mr Trump said: 'If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We'll see. But I can tell you, last night was terrible. The night before that was terrible.' Stephen Miller, the deputy White House chief of staff and the architect of Mr Trump's immigration policy, reportedly greenlit the raids on workplaces which sparked the Los Angeles riots. According to The Wall Street Journal, Mr Miller instructed ICE officers to shift the focus from foreign criminals and 'go out there and arrest illegal aliens', to fulfil the president's campaign pledge for mass deportations. He reportedly directed agents to target Home Depot and 7-Eleven convenience stores, asking for a show of hands and asking: 'Who here thinks they can do it?' Officers subsequently raided a Home Depot on Friday in the Westlake neighbourhood of Los Angeles, helping set off days' worth of protests. 'Keeping President Trump's promise to deport illegal aliens is something the administration takes seriously,' said Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman. 'We are committed to aggressively and efficiently removing illegal aliens from the United States, including illegal aliens who commit additional crimes once arriving illegally in the United States. 'President Trump's 'one big, beautiful bill' will ensure law enforcement officers have the resources necessary to keep the President's promise. The safety of the American people depends upon this.' On Tuesday, a Pentagon official told a congressional committee that the deployment of the National Guard and US marines to Los Angeles, which has been guaranteed for 60 days, was expected to cost $134 million. Bryn Woollacott MacDonnell, special assistant to Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, said most of the funding would be taken up by housing, feeding and transporting troops.
