An Australian journalist was hit by a projectile during a live broadcast from downtown Los Angeles, amid intense protests against the recent immigration actions by the U.S. government in various areas of the Californian city.
PUBLICIDAD
The incident occurred on the third consecutive day of protests, in a day marked by increased tension between protesters and security forces, with the intervention ordered by Donald Trump of 2,000 National Guard members.
PUBLICIDAD
This is Lauren Tomasi, who is the correspondent for the Australian channel 9News in Los Angeles.
What was the incident in which an Australian journalist was injured?
The Australian media broadcasted images of the moment when apparently a police officer deliberately shot in the direction of the journalist. According to the channel, the projectile hit the reporter in the leg as she was finishing her live coverage from the conflict zone.
In the recording, Tomasi can be seen describing how “the situation has deteriorated rapidly, the Los Angeles police are advancing on horseback, firing rubber bullets at the protesters, forcing them to retreat through the heart of Los Angeles.” Moments later, an officer is seen aiming his gun towards the journalist and firing. After being hit, Tomasi’s cry of pain can be heard before she and her cameraman leave the scene, assisted by a passerby who alerted them to what had happened.
On their X social media account, Tomasi wrote, “I’m a little sore, but I’m okay. It’s important that we continue to tell the stories that need to be told.”
Australia wants explanations from Donald Trump
9News issued a statement confirming that their journalist was hit by a rubber bullet during coverage, and assured that both she and her cameraman are out of danger and will continue reporting on the events. The channel emphasized that the incident “serves as a strong reminder of the risks faced by reporters covering protests on the ground” and reaffirmed its commitment to field journalism.
The aggression sparked reactions in the Australian political sphere. Senator Sarah Hanson-Young publicly requested Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to communicate with President Donald Trump to express her concern about what happened, describing the incident as “shocking” and “completely unacceptable”.
Lauren Tomasi was not the only press worker affected by the riots. Nick Stern, a British photographer covering the protests, had to undergo surgery after suffering a serious leg injury. Additionally, there have been several cases of journalists being harassed or intimidated by some protesters while carrying out their reporting duties.