Lauren Tomasi, a US correspondent for the Australian outlet Nine News, was shot with a rubber bullet while reporting on the Los Angeles protests on Sunday, June 8. She has since spoken about the incident.
Protests and riots started on Friday
Protests erupted on Friday, June 6, in Los Angeles after ICE arrested dozens of people over alleged immigration violations.
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The situation quickly escalated with some saying Molotov cocktails were thrown at law enforcement, lighting vehicles on fire.
Police were shooting rubber bullets
LAPD started shooting rubber bullets at protesters in an attempt to disperse the crowds with Tomasi getting hit with one.
An officer is seen allegedly taking aim at her
In the horrifying footage shared by Nine News which shows Tomasi getting shot, an officer in the back appears to take aim at her before shooting a rubber bullet at her ankle.
After Tomasi jumped in terror after being struck, a bystander can be heard yelling, “You just f**king shot the reporter.”
Tomasi has now spoken about the incident
Since the incident, Tomasi has spoken to a fellow reporter in the studio about the situation.
When asked how she was doing, Tomasi said, “I am okay. My cameraman, Jimmy, and I are both safe. This is just one of the unfortunate realities of reporting on these kind of incidents.”
She decided to resume her duties
The Australian journalist has decided to resume her reporting duties, adding, “It has been a really volatile day on the streets of Los Angeles, and I do want to show you the scene here tonight.”
The camera then proceeded to show downtown LA that had been cordoned off, with Tomasi adding, “The city warned that if anyone moves through here, they will be arrested on the spot.”
People were outraged by the footage
As the video of Tomasi getting shot with the rubber bullet made the rounds on the internet, people seemed outraged at her being struck with the rubber bullet.
Some also suggested that the officer purposely aimed at her. “He aims right at her,” one person on Twitter wrote.
“No one in between them. No chance of it being a missed shot. A purposeful close range shot, at an unarmed journalist, who was walking away.”
Trump sent the National Guard to LA
2,000 Members of the National Guard were ordered to go to LA by President Donald Trump in the wake of the riots, as per ABC.
