An Australian journalist was struck in the leg by a nonlethal round while reporting live from downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, as protests intensified over President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and the controversial deployment of National Guard troops to the city.
Video footage aired by 9News captured the moment correspondent Lauren Tomasi was hit during a live cross.
In the clip, Tomasi is seen holding a microphone when a police officer behind her abruptly raises a firearm and fires a nonlethal round at close range. Tomasi, who was not wearing protective gear, yelped in pain and clutched her lower leg as she and her cameraman retreated.
“You just [expletive] shot the reporter!” someone off-camera shouted as the pair moved away.
Despite the incident, Tomasi quickly reassured her team, saying: “Yeah, I’m good, I’m good.”
The shooting occurred after a chaotic afternoon in which Tomasi and her crew found themselves between advancing riot police and demonstrators.
“They’ve told people to get out of this area, and protesters have been refusing,” Tomasi said during the coverage. “We are safe here. It’s just noisy. But you can see the volatility.”
Speaking to 9News on Monday, Tomasi confirmed she and her cameraman, Jimmy, were unharmed. She said: “This is just one of the unfortunate realities of reporting on these kinds of incidents.”
The protest movement erupted on Friday with several hundred demonstrators and grew to thousands by Sunday. Protesters blocked major roadways and set multiple autonomous vehicles on fire in defiance of federal immigration enforcement actions.
Trump’s decision to deploy National Guard troops to Los Angeles, without the consent of Governor Gavin Newsom, has triggered widespread backlash. It marks the first time federal forces have been sent to a US state without state approval since 1967.