Latest news with #LaurenTomasi
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Reporter hit by rubber bullet during live report from Los Angeles immigration protests
An Australian television journalist was hit in the leg by a nonlethal round Sunday while reporting live from downtown Los Angeles on the large-scale protests over President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown and subsequent deployment of California National Guard troops to the city. Video of the incident released by 9News shows correspondent Lauren Tomasi, microphone in hand, reporting live when an officer behind her suddenly raises their firearm and fires a nonlethal round at close range. Tomasi, who doesn't appear to be wearing personal protective equipment, cries out in pain and clutches her lower leg as she and her cameraman quickly move away from the police line. 'You just (expletive) shot the reporter,' a voice off-camera can be heard shouting. Tomasi assured her crew she was okay: 'Yeah, I'm good, I'm good.' The shooting came after a tense afternoon in which Tomasi and her crew were caught between riot police and protesters. At one point, she struggled to speak over the sound of clashes, while a protester grabbed the camera mid-broadcast. 'They've told people to get out of this area, and protesters have been refusing,' she reported. 'We are safe here. It's just noisy. But you can see the volatility.' Speaking later Monday to 9News, Tomasi confirmed she was safe and unharmed. 'I'm okay, my cameraman Jimmy and I are both safe. This is just one of the unfortunate realities of reporting on these kinds of incidents,' she said. 9News is part of Nine, one of Australia's largest media companies, which operates across television, radio, print and digital channels. Its major platforms include free-to-air Channel Nine and leading newspapers like The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. The demonstrations, which began with a few hundred people on Friday, had swelled by Sunday to thousands of people who blocked a major freeway and set several self-driving cars on fire. President Trump's sent National Guard troops to the city over the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom, in the first deployment without state consent since 1967. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
World reacts after LA police shoot Aussie journalist with rubber bullet
Footage of the moment an Australian reporter was shot by an LA police officer has drawn condemnation across the world and become a flashpoint for groups concerned about press freedom in the US. Nine's US correspondent Lauren Tomasi was shot in the leg with a rubber bullet during a live cross amid the tense scenes in downtown Los Angeles. She has already returned to work, saying she was 'a bit sore, but I'm okay' and vowing to 'keep on telling the stories that need to be told'. News of the shooting on Monday morning Sydney time, was carried on major international outlets including the BBC, The Independent, CBS, NBC and USA Today. Channel Nine's footage of the incident, which appears to show an officer taking aim at Tomasi before firing, has also gone viral around the world on social media. 'The police fired rubber bullets at Australian reporter Lauren Tomasi while she was reporting live from Los Angeles today,' Republicans Against Trump wrote on an X post which drew almost nine million views. 'Appalling and unjustified.' It was also shared by entertainment publication Pop Crave gaining 13.4 million views on X by Tuesday morning, AEST. More than six million people viewed the footage OSINTdefender's X page, which monitors open-source intelligence from conflicts in Europe. Notorious hacker group Anonymous also shared vision of the incident to its five million X followers, drawing 460,000 views. Anti-Trump X page The Tennessee Holler was among the first international X accounts to publish the footage, racking up more than 223,000 views on its post. The boss of US-based media research organisation Digital Conext Next, Jason Kint, praised Tomasi's quick return to work and commitment to 'bringing facts on the ground to her audience'. 'Remarkable,' he said. 'Grateful for a free and plural press. And yes, it at least appeared an intentional shot. Chilling.' Freedom of the Press, a New York-based advocacy group, wrote on X that 'this sure doesn't look like an accident'. '@LAPDHQ needs to investigate and take action immediately.' British photographer Nick Stern also required emergency surgery after being hit by a nonlethal round while covering the protest in the city of Paramount, Los Angeles County. Freedom of the Press has joined with other organisations in writing to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to 'express alarm that federal officers may ave violated First Amendment rights of journalists covering recent protests'. 'In some cases, federal officers appear to have deliberately targeted journalists who were doing nothing more than their job covering the news,' the open letter states. Leona O'Neill, an author and head of journalism at Ulster University, spoke out about the incident, citing parallels to police clashes in her homeland. 'This is utterly disgraceful. Here in Northern Ireland we know exactly the damage rubber bullets can do,' she wrote. 'Attacking the media is abhorrent. Sending solidarity to @LaurenTomasi.' Tomasi's colleague at Channel 9, Today host Karl Stefanovic on Tuesday demanded an investigation into why she was targeted. 'We don't know what threat was so imminent it required a cop to discharge his weapon on a reporter or whether he meant to shoot her, but it sure looks like that to me,' he said in a monologue. 'The incident was maybe one of three things: a moment where an LA officer so thought his life was in danger, he needed to discharge his weapon, an incompetent warning shot, or the act of a coward. 'Either way, it needs to be properly investigated.' Stefanovic urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to speak with Donald Trump about the incident at their upcoming meeting, which is expected to take place this month. 'I get that it's dangerous to cops, to what's happened to them in the line of duty, and the position they are in is horrendous,' he said. 'But how is it OK for your police force to be firing at unarmed Australian journalists? 'If Albo is looking for a place to start with Donald Trump, this is it.'
Daily Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Telegraph
Lauren Tomasi defiant after being hit by nonlethal munition during LA protests
Don't miss out on the headlines from At Work. Followed categories will be added to My News. Karl Stefanovic has demanded an investigation after a US riot police officer shot his colleague with a nonlethal round during violent demonstrations in Los Angeles. Nine's Lauren Tomasi was at the time reporting in the city's downtown area, where law enforcement and the US National Guard were facing off with thousands protesting Donald Trump's mass deportations. Tomasi, microphone in hand, was giving an update to camera when an officer standing behind her raised his firearm and fired, hitting her in the leg. Taking to social media, she said she was 'a bit sore, but I'm okay'. Tomasi vowed to 'keep on telling the stories that need to be told', echoing comments from Nine, which confirmed both she 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 front lines of protests, underscoring the importance of their role in providing vital information,' the company said. But Stefanovic on Tuesday took a harsher tone, declaring there were questions that needed to be answered. Nine's Lauren Tomasi was struck by a nonlethal munition while covering violent demonstrations in the US. Picture: NewsWire / Screengrab 'We don't know what threat was so imminent it required a cop to discharge his weapon on a reporter or whether he meant to shoot her, but it sure looks like that to me,' he said in a Today Show monologue. 'The incident was maybe one of three things: a moment where an LA officer so thought his life was in danger, he needed to discharge his weapon, an incompetent warning shot, or the act of a coward. 'Either way, it needs to be properly investigated.' Stefanovic called on Anthony Albanese to raise the matter with Donald Trump when the two leaders have their first face-to-face on the sidelines of the G7 in Canada later this week. 'I get that it's dangerous to cops, to what's happened to them in the line of duty, and the position they are in is horrendous,' he said. 'But how is it OK for your police force to be firing at unarmed Australian journalists? 'If Albo is looking for a place to start with Donald Trump, this is it.' Australian reporter Lauren Tomasi was struck by a nonlethal munition while covering demonstrations in the US. Picture: NewsWire / Screengrab Greens communication spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young has also called on the Prime Minister to mention it as the first order of business. 'US authorities shooting an Australian journalist is simply shocking,' Senator Hanson-Young said in a statement. 'It is completely unacceptable and must be called out. 'The Prime Minister must seek an urgent explanation from the US administration. 'As Albanese is preparing for his first meeting with President Trump, the first thing he must tell the President is to stop shooting at our journalists.' The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was in touch 'with an Australian injured in protests, and stands ready to provide consular assistance if required'. 'Australia supports media freedom and the protection of journalists,' a DFAT spokesperson said. 'All journalists should be able to do their work safely.' DFAT has advised Australians to avoid areas where there are protests in the US. 'Pretty nasty' Speaking after the incident, Tomasi described the situation in Los Angeles as 'pretty nasty' and 'volatile'. She said police were moving through the city's downtown area trying to clear out protesters, but there were 'just thousands of people, and as we were reporting on the situation, one of those officers fired at me'. US law enforcement and the National Guard have been facing off with thousands protesting US President Donald Trump's mass deportations. Blake Fagan / AFP 'We are both safe,' she told Melbourne talkback station 3AW, referring to her cameraman. Though she said she was 'going to have a bit of a nasty bruise'. 'It really did hurt,' Tomasi said. 'I'd say it's kind of the size of a golf ball – a hard-ish rubber. 'I've got a bit of a circle on my calf muscle. I'm lucky it was there.' She said it 'comes part and parcel with the job sometimes', but 'it does kind of give you an idea of the sense of just how much this is deteriorating and how the situation here is out of control'. Asked why she thought the officer shot at her, Tomasi said she did not know and put it down to the chaotic circumstances. 'I think they're just firing at anyone who is remotely in the way,' she said. 'We certainly were not trying to get in the way … we were standing off to the side.' US Marines deployed Tomasi's vow to continue covering the demonstrations came as US defence officials confirmed about 700 Marines were being deployed to defend federal personnel and property in Los Angeles. The move will likely fuel tensions already dire due to Mr Trump's decision to deploy 2000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles – the first time since 1967 that a president has done so without a request from a state governor. California Governor Gavin Newsom, who Mr Trump often refers to as 'Gavin Newscum', has blasted the federal intervention as 'not to meet an unmet need but to manufacture a crisis'. Mr Newsom said on Monday (local time) that he was 'filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration to end the illegal takeover (of the California Military Department), which has escalated chaos and violence in LA'. Protesters have torched police vehicles and graffitied buildings in downtown Los Angeles. Picture: Ringo Chiu / AFP 'Donald Trump's violation of the US Constitution is an overstep of his authority,' he posted on social media. 'We will not let this stand.' What started as a few hundred protesters in downtown Los Angeles on Friday escalated dramatically over the weekend, with burning police vehicles scattered along streets and clashes between demonstrators and riot officers. The Trump administration has tasked federal immigration agents with arresting at least 3000 migrants per day as part of the US President's crackdown on illegal immigration. Daily raids across the country have sparked shock and scathing criticisms as well as warnings they could jeopardise key sectors where undocumented workers do the heavy lifting. Southern California is among the regions most impacted by the raids. More to come Originally published as Fury after Australian reporter hit by nonlethal munition during LA protests
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Australian journalist shot with rubber bullet during Los Angeles riots (VIDEO)
Australian journalist Lauren Tomasi was struck by a rubber bullet while covering immigration riots in Los Angeles, she and her employer confirmed. The incident occurred on Sunday as Tomasi, a correspondent for 9News Australia, was wrapping up a live report near the city's Metropolitan Detention Center, where riot police were facing off with demonstrators. A police officer standing behind Tomasi suddenly fired a projectile, which hit her in the leg. 'I'm a bit sore, but I'm okay,' Tomasi wrote on X after the incident. 'This is just one of the unfortunate realities of reporting on these kinds of incidents. It has been a really volatile day on the streets of Los Angeles,' she told 9News. Australian TV reporter Lauren Tomasi was shot by LAPD with rubber bullets while covering the protests in L.A. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying that 'journalists should be able to do their work safely.' The protests and riots began on Friday after immigration officials detained several day laborers in the parking lot of a Home Depot store in Los Angeles' Westlake District. President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of the National Guard in response, a move California Governor Gavin Newsom rejected as unlawful.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Shocking Video Shows Reporter Struck by Rubber Bullet in L.A.
A journalist was shot in the leg with a rubber bullet by a law enforcement officer in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday night, her employer, 9 News Australia, reported. In footage shared by the Australian national news service, U.S. correspondent Lauren Tomasi cries out in pain after an officer appears to point directly at her and shoot. 'You just... shot the reporter,' someone shouts immediately afterwards, according to a caption. 'I'm good, I'm good,' Tomasi can be heard shrieking. The journalist had been reporting 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 L.A.' In a statement provided to the Daily Beast, a 9 News spokesperson said 'Lauren and her camera operator are safe and will continue their essential work covering these events,' adding that the '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.' Reached for comment by the Daily Beast, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson said the LAPD was not aware of the video and said it was still dealing with the evolving situation in the city. Clashes between law enforcement and protesters intensified on Sunday after the Trump administration deployed the National Guard and sent in troops in what local leaders called a dramatic and unnecessary escalation. The protests broke out over federal immigration raids last week.
