Australian journalist shot with rubber bullets in Los Angeles
9News Australian journalist Lauren Tomasi was shot with a rubber bullet while reporting from a protest in Los Angeles.
Several members of the media were injured in a non-fatal round fired by law enforcement, covering days of protests against Trump’s administration’s immigrant crackdown in Los Angeles, urging the committee to be vigilant about reporters’ threats to protect journalists.
Authorities reached the fifth day demonstration on June 10th, when President Donald Trump ordered members of the National Guard and the U.S. Marines on a show of forces against unrest. The administration’s stepping also sparked clashes between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and local leaders, including the federal government.
When officers use force against protesters, some journalists reporting brawls have been caught by non-fatal rubber rounds and other projectiles. Adam Rose, the secretary of the Los Angeles Press Club, has documented more than 30 incidents from reporters, photographers and other media experts affected by police actions, from searching for journalists’ bags to firing tear gas and rubber bullets. In one virus video, the officer appears to be targeting Australian reporter Lauren Tomasi and setting fire to the fire.
The committee advocating for freedom of the press and documenting cases of murder, imprisonment or missing journalists said it was “very concerned” by reports of shooting a non-fatal round in reporters on the ground.
“An attempt to block or silence media coverage by threatening or injuring journalists should not be tolerated,” said Catherine Jacobsen, program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists in the US, Canada and the Caribbean. “It is mandatory for authorities to respect the media’s role in documenting issues of the public interest.”
Los Angeles police did not answer questions about the incident, but in an email to USA Today it said it “recognizes the use of fatal developments during the protests is low.” The California Highway Patrol did not immediately respond to an investigation into the injured journalist. LAPD has told the committee that it will investigate the case to protect journalists.
Journalist was injured in rubber bullets and other non-lethal rounds
Australian reporter Tomasi was hurt after being attacked by a rubber bullet, but otherwise unharmed, her employer, Australian 9News, said.
British freelance photographer Nick Stern had to undergo emergency surgery after hitting his leg in a non-lethal round, he told the BBC. Stern said he was covering the protests in Los Angeles when he was hit by a 3-inch “plastic bullet” on June 8th. He said he was qualified for the press and had a big camera around his neck.
“There was something sticking out from behind my legs, and my legs were wet with blood,” he told the outlet. Stern said BBC protesters helped him move him away from “dangerous areas,” and Medic applied tourniquets.
“I intend to go back there as soon as I get enough,” he told the BBC. “This is too important and needs to be documented.”
A photographer from the New York Post was also hit by a rubber bullet in the head, the outlet reported. “Toby Cansham was standing right next to the 101 highway in Los Angeles on the evening of June 8th when a California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer suddenly pointed his weapon at him and fired it from about 100 yards away,” the Post reported. He went to the hospital due to whiplash and neck pain, and suffered a bruise on his forehead.
“That’s a real shame. I fully understand that you’re in a position where you can get hurt, but at the same time I’m a bit mad about it because I didn’t even justify pointing the rifle at me and pulling the trigger,” Cansham said.
The official also filmed Ryanne Mena, a reporter for a Southern California newsgroup, and filmed a ball of pepper ball containing a chemical similar to pepper spray, she said in a social media post.
Police temporarily detained CNN correspondent Jason Carroll on June 9 while covering the protests. Stugio’s anchor temporarily lost contact with Carol and was able to see him being led by LAPD officers with his hands behind him. The executives can hear Carol telling:
“You take a lot of risk as a reporter. This is a low risk of that scale, but that’s something I didn’t expect. “I’ve covered protests many times, but usually the executives know that the press is doing their job.”
What’s happening in the LA protest?
The protest began on June 6th in response to the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration attacks in Southern California. Immigration and customs enforcement agencies are implementing orders from Trump to find immigrants living in the United States without legal status. The protest opposes the sweep that the agency is running in various regions.
The protest began almost peacefully after a sweeping of our immigrants and customs enforcement near Los Angeles led to more than 40 arrests, but it flares up when heavily armed, masked agents stormed a business in Los Angeles. For days, the demonstrations have grown, confused, and sometimes violent, with police and protesters clashing on the streets.
A tense standoff is unfolding between the administration and California authorities. California authorities say the use of the National Guard and the US Marines is an illegal overthrow of Newsom’s authority.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called Trump’s military escalation “a deliberate attempt to create obstacles and disruption in our city.”
On Monday, LAPD said protesters threw things at officers near federal courtrooms, urging them to use gas cans and other munitions. Bus said more than 100 people were arrested Monday night and blamed the “fringe group” for violence.
Contribution: than