The reporter that was shot by the LAPD while documenting the LA Anti-ICE riots has spoken out.
Protests hit the streets of Los Angeles last week after the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested dozens of people linked to immigration violations.
The riots and protests caused Donald Trump to send National Guards troops to handle the situation and several people have since been arrested.
One individual was arrested for throwing a Molotov cocktail at the police while another was detained for pushing a motorbike into police. Parked cars were also set on fire, during the riots.
On Sunday, police implemented an unlawful assembly order and shut down blocks of downtown LA.
US reporter Lauren Tomasi was on the ground for 9News, reporting on the ever changing situation when she got caught in ‘crossfire’, in a shocking moment that was caught on camera.
Police were firing rubber bullets in order to disperse the crowd, when Tomasi caught one in the ankle – causing her to stumble off camera.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t42UBBolOvo
The news outlet has since updated that she ‘was left sore but otherwise unharmed’.
Now, Tomasi has spoken out. She shard that she and her camera crew were ok and ‘this is just one of the unfortunate realities of reporting on these kinds of incidents’.
When asked by anchor Peter Overton, she responded “I am okay. My cameraman Jimmy and I are both safe.”
She added: “It was been a really volatile day on the streets of Los Angeles,”.
The news outlet had previously shared a statement that read: “Lauren Tomasi was struck by a rubber bullet. Lauren and her camera operator are safe and will continue their essential work covering these events.
“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.”
Some online have since speculated that the police intentionally aimed at the reporter as the gunman seemed to look in her direction before pulling the trigger.
“He aims right at her,” one person wrote on social media, “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.”
“It looks like as soon as he makes eyes with the camera he fires,” agreed another.
