An Australian news reporter was struck by a rubber bullet while reporting live from the Los Angeles riots.
9News correspondent Lauren Tomasi was covering the chaos and hit on camera.
“U.S. Correspondent Lauren Tomasi has been caught in the crossfire as the LAPD fired rubber bullets at protesters in the heart of Los Angeles,” 9News wrote.
WATCH [EXPLICIT LANGUAGE]:
U.S. Correspondent Lauren Tomasi has been caught in the crossfire as the LAPD fired rubber bullets at protesters in the heart of Los Angeles. #9News
LATEST: https://t.co/l5w7JxixxB pic.twitter.com/nvQ7m9TGLj
— 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) June 9, 2025
From the New York Post:
Tomasi had been reporting on the stand-off situation, which she said had “rapidly deteriorated” moments before she was caught in the crossfire.
ADVERTISEMENT“LAPD moving in on horseback, firing rubber bullets at protesters, moving them on through the heart of LA,” she said before she was shot seconds later.
Nine News said in a statement that Tomasi and her camera operator “are safe and will continue their essential work covering these events.”
Lauren Tomasi, a 9News correspondent, was reporting live when an officer behind her suddenly raised their firearm and fired a nonlethal round at close range.
https://t.co/QdabNDUD5e— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 9, 2025
CBS News reports:
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.”
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.”
ADVERTISEMENTSpeaking later Monday to 9News, Tomasi confirmed she was safe.
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