As protests in Los Angeles against ICE raids and deportations devolved into chaos, a news reporter from Australia took a direct hit to the leg from a rubber bullet fired by police and began screaming in pain. See it HERE.
CBS News identified the reporter as Lauren Tomasi, a 9News correspondent from Australia. She was reporting live on the police effort to chase away protestors when she leapt up and said she'd been hit.
She later went on air and confirmed she was safe and unharmed.
The video shows her struggling to be heard over the sound of protests, and then a protestor managed to grab her mic. Plenty of social media commentary claims she was hit on purpose, including people who say you can see the officer 'take aim.' There's been no official comment on that point.
"I'm OK, 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 on air after the incident.
Media outlets across the country were on hand as the anti-ICE demonstrations in Los Angeles on Sunday swelled to thousands of people objecting to President Donald Trump's immigration policies. Protesters blocked a major freeway in LA, set cars on fire and more.
Adam Cochran wrote on X, "Directly aims at her, as she is moving away, and clearly on air. No threat. No one between them. It wasn’t a missed shot. It was purposeful!"
Thirty-nine people have been arrested in connection with the protests. About 2,000 National Guard troops were in the city at Trump's order, despite Gov. Gavin Newsom asking the president to keep them away. CBS News reported this was the first National Guard's first deployment without state consent since 1967.
Trump denounced the protestors, saying protestors were "troublemakers and insurrectionists."