An Australian journalist caught in the crossfire during the violent LA riots has broken her silence after being shot by police while covering the chaos live on air.
Lauren Tomasi, a US correspondent for Australia’s 9News, was reporting from downtown Los Angeles on June 8 when a rubber bullet fired by the LAPD struck her in the ankle.
The dramatic moment was broadcast live and captured the journalist crying out and limping off camera.
Watch the moment below:Video footage showed an officer appearing to take direct aim at Tomasi as she reported from outside the Metropolitan Detention Centre.
Moments earlier, she was describing how the LAPD had moved in on horseback and started shooting rubber bullets at protesters: “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.”
Viewers could hear her scream, and one bystander shouted: “You just f****** shot the reporter!”
The reporter has since returned to the air and addressed the incident: “I am okay. My cameraman, Jimmy, and I are both safe. This is just one of the unfortunate realities of reporting on these kind of incidents.
“It has been a really volatile day on the streets of Los Angeles,” she told colleagues, as she panned the camera across a cordoned-off downtown LA. “The city warned that if anyone moves through here, they will be arrested on the spot.”
The incident sparked outrage online, with many accusing the officer of deliberately targeting the journalist.
“He aims right at her,” one viewer posted on X. “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.”
9News issued a statement shortly after: “Lauren Tomasi was struck by a rubber bullet. Lauren and her camera operator are safe and will continue their essential work covering these events.”
The network called the incident “a stark reminder of the inherent dangers journalists can face while reporting from the frontlines of protests."
Australia’s Greens Senator Sarah Hanson‑Young said the shooting was “simply shocking” and “completely unacceptable,” urging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to demand answers from the US.
“The first thing he must tell the president is to stop shooting at our journalists,” she said via The Independent. “Freedom of the press is a fundamental pillar of a strong, functioning democracy.”
The shooting came amid widespread unrest in Los Angeles following aggressive ICE immigration raids.
Protesters flooded the streets on Friday, torching vehicles, throwing Molotov cocktails, and shutting down parts of the 101 Freeway.
The LAPD responded by deploying “less lethal munitions,” and the National Guard sent in 2,000 troops, with another 500 Marines on standby, per the Daily Mail.
“Media partners, please keep a safe distance from active operations,” officers warned, as tensions flared throughout the Civic Center and LA City Hall, where horseback officers locked in tense standoffs with protest groups.
President Donald Trump lashed out at California Governor Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass, demanding they “apologize to the people of Los Angeles for the absolutely horrible job that they have done.”
“These are not protesters, they are troublemakers and insurrectionists. Remember, NO MASKS!” he added.
While the White House called the military deployment “essential to halting and reversing the invasion of illegal criminals into the United States,” Newsom condemned it as “purposefully inflammatory.”
As the political battle continues, reporters like Tomasi remain on the front lines - risking their safety to document history as it unfolds.