The shocking moment has been widely condemned

An Australian reporter was shot with a rubber bullet by riot police while covering the ongoing mass protests in Los Angeles.

US correspondent for Nine Lauren Tomasi was reporting on the ‘rapidly deteriorating’ riots in the city on Sunday evening, local time, when she was hit. “The LAPD are moving in on horseback and firing rubber bullets at protesters,” Tomasi said as the above video proves.

As she told viewers the police were “moving them (protesters) on through the heart of LA” several loud bangs were heard in the distance.

Shockingly, just seconds later a policeman was seen turning his gun towards Tomasi. A cloud of smoke appeared next to the journalist and she doubled over in pain.

“You just f***ing shot a reporter,” a protester yelled at nearby police.

New Delhi: Protests in Los Angeles against the arrest of migrants escalated after Donald Trump ordered troops of California’s National Guard to be deployed in the city.

With media not only from the US but all over the globe covering the protests, a mishap struck a television journalist who was in one of the ‘hotspots’.

Lauren Tomasi, the US correspondent of Australian Nine News channel, was hit by a rubber bullet while covering the protests and riots on Sunday evening (early morning Indian time).

She was struck in the leg, while she was broadcasting live.

The video footage, which has gone viral on social media, shows a police officer taking aim at Tomasi and her camera operator before shooting. Tomasi can be heard screaming in pain, clutching her calf, as a bystander angrily shouts, “You just shot the f*****g reporter!”

Australian journalist shot by U.S. police—caught on live camera. Yet, the West DS funded propaganda dares to lecture India on press freedom, citing biased, Western-funded “indexes.” pic.twitter.com/aMX0802E4w — Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) June 9, 2025

Tomasi reassured a bystander that she was good, as she and her cameraperson moved to safety.

Tomasi hasn’t issued a formal statement about the incident.

She posted an update on the ongoing protests on X. “8 pm. Dozens of police have just moved in. Another attempt to move people on. Flash bang grenades – then fireworks – going off,” she wrote.

Nine News said in a statement that both Tomasi and the camera operator are safe, and will continue their work.

“This 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,” the TV channel said on Monday, according to a report by The Guardian.

Even as California Governor Gavin Newsom criticised President Trump’s move to take federal control of California’s National Guard as “purposefully inflammatory,” the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) declared the city’s downtown area an ‘unlawful assembly.’

“You are to leave the Downtown area immediately,” LAPD said in a post on X.

‘Arrest mask-wearing protesters’, orders Trump

As the protests showed no signs of dying down, Trump ordered the immediate arrest of protestors wearing masks.

As protests entered the third day, security force personnel patrolled the streets on horseback and guarded federal facilities in riot gear.

Federal agents and police used flash-bang grenades and tear gas in an effort to disperse and drive away the crowds in a city with a sizable Latino population.

According to American media, Trump’s decision to bring in the National Guard was an ‘unprecedented action’ in decades.

British photographer Nick Stern said he was hit with a 14mm high-velocity “sponge bullet” in his thigh while he was covering a stand-off between protestors and law enforcement in Los Angeles on Saturday evening.

The 60-year-old photographer told The Times of London he was “making a point of making myself visible as media” with a press ID around his neck while he was holding a large video camera.

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Stern arrived on the scene after hearing reports of federal agents carrying out immigration enforcement operations in the city’s Paramount area. “I thought by the time I get down there it’ll be over…but as the day went on things seemed to escalate,” he said.

He added that he saw a car on fire, along with a Black Hawk helicopter that was “dropping off ammo for ICE, boxes and boxes of it,” and that police officers were armed with “less-lethal weapons,” including flash-bangs — or stun grenades — and sponge rounds designed to deliver a painful blow.

LAPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The force has not responded publicly to the incident.

At about 9 p.m. local time (midnight E.T.), Stern was capturing images of two young women standing a few feet away with their backs to him, waving a Mexican flag toward a line of sheriff’s deputies who were massed farther down the street, when he said he felt “horrific shooting pain impacting my leg” before he blacked out.

“They’re supposed to shoot the ground in front of people, not target individuals — but this hit me directly,” he said, adding, “I can’t explain why they even fired.”

He was taken to the hospital shortly after blood began pouring from his leg, where he underwent scans and X-rays before surgery.

Stern, who immigrated to the U.S. 18 years ago from Hertford, United Kingdom, added that he feared what would come next after President Trump deployed the National Guard around the city, which he said had led to “indiscriminate targeting of everybody who’s at the protests.”

“I feel it’s going to get worse before it gets better. … I wouldn’t be surprised if they start firing live rounds over people’s heads next,” he added.

“You just f**king shot the reporter,” a voice off-camera was heard yelling.

Tomasi reassured her crew that she was fine despite the incident, telling them, “Yeah, I’m good, I’m good” in the clip.

President Donald Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles on Sunday (June 8) after the White House issued a statement announcing the deployment on Saturday (June 7) night.

“In recent days, violent mobs have attacked ICE Officers and Federal Law Enforcement Agents carrying out basic deportation operations in Los Angeles, California,” the statement reads. “These operations are essential to halting and reversing the invasion of illegal criminals into the United States. In the wake of this violence, California’s feckless Democrat leaders have completely abdicated their responsibility to protect their citizens. That is why President Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester. The Trump Administration has a zero tolerance policy for criminal behavior and violence, especially when that violence is aimed at law enforcement officers trying to do their jobs. These criminals will be arrested and swiftly brought to justice. The Commander-in-Chief will ensure the laws of the United States are executed fully and completely.”

The protests followed demonstrations over ICE operations across the city on Friday (June 6) after federal agents raided multiple workplaces resulting in hundreds of people, including children, being detained, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Large crowds gathered near the federal building on Friday, which resulted in some clashes with authorities, while was followed by protests on Saturday where Border Patrol agents were posted up nearby, resulting in more clashes with demonstrators and footage showing smoke projectiles being deployed.

An Australian television journalist reporting live from downtown Los Angeles amid the large-scale protests over President Trump’s immigration crackdown was hit in the leg by a rubber bullet, her network said.

Lauren Tomasi, a 9News correspondent, was reporting live on Sunday when an officer behind her suddenly raised their firearm and fired a nonlethal round at close range, video shows. Tomasi, who doesn’t appear to be wearing personal protective equipment, cries out in pain and clutches her lower leg as the cameraman quickly pans away and they move away from the police line.

“You just (expletive) shot the report,” a voice off-camera can be heard shouting.

Tomasi can be heard reassuring her crew she was OK: “Yeah, I’m good, I’m good.”

Lauren Tomasi, a 9News correspondent, was reporting live on Sunday when an officer behind her suddenly raised their firearm and fired a nonlethal round at close range 9News

The demonstrations in Los Angeles began with a few hundred people on Friday and swelled by Sunday to thousands who blocked a major freeway and set several self-driving cars on fire.

On Saturday, Mr. Trump, who called the demonstrators “troublemakers and insurrectionists,” sent about 2,000 National Guard troops to the city despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s objections. It is the National Guard’s first deployment without state consent since 1967.

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.

“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.

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said Sunday night that 39 people have been arrested in total — 29 on Saturday and 10 on Sunday — in connection with the unrest.