Nine correspondent Lauren Tomasi was shot by police while reporting on the LA riots
A correspondent for Australian outlet Nine News has been shot with a rubber bullet while reporting on protests in Los Angeles.People in the Californian city were protesting against president Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration, as some were seen setting fire to cars in the street on Sunday (8 June).
Nine News US correspondent Lauren Tomasi was reporting at the scene, telling viewers at home that 'after hours of standing off, this situation has now rapidly deteriorated, the LAPD moving in on horseback, firing rubber bullets at protesters, moving them on through the heart of LA'.
Just seconds later, she was shot with a rubber bullet while a bystander was heard saying: "You just f**king shot the reporter."
Nine confirmed that 'Lauren and her camera operator are safe' (Nine)
"I’m good," Tomasi responded when asked if she was ok.
According to footage shared by Nine on social media, an officer appears to take aim in the direction of the reporter before they started firing.
The outlet said in a statement: "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."
Nine said that Tomasi was reporting at 257 E Temple Street, Los Angeles, as the protest was focused on 'the Metropolitan Detention Centre in downtown Los Angeles, where people were detained after earlier immigration raids'.
Australian Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has called for the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, to get 'an urgent explanation' from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) who were at the scene.
She said that the incident was 'simply shocking' and 'completely unacceptable'.
“The first thing he [Albanese] must tell the president is to stop shooting at our journalists,” Hanson-Young said. “Freedom of the press is a fundamental pillar of a strong, functioning democracy.”
The moment she was hit got caught on camera (Nine)
It comes after the LAPD Central Division issued a warning to the pubic prior to the riots.
Over on X, they wrote: "An UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLY has been declared for the Civic Center area of DTLA.
"A number of people have been arrested. All people are to stay away from the Civic Center area of DTLA."
In another tweet, they added: "To our media partners, please keep a safe distance from active operations."
According to CNN, Trump has since sent in the National Guard after urging the LAPD to 'bring in the troops' following Chief Jim McDonnell's comment about reassessing whether they were needed or not.
Chief McDonnell said in a press conference at the time that the police were 'overwhelmed as far as the number of people out there engaged in this type of activity and the type of things that they’re doing'.
LADbible Group had contacted the LAPD for comment.
Featured Image Credit: Nine News
