Chaotic Scenes in Los Angeles Protests: Unprotected Journalists Hit by Rubber Bullets
Photographer of Associated Press hurt from rubber bullets in Los Angeles incident - Photographer from AFP sustains injuries after being hit by rubber bullets in the chaos of Los Angeles
In the fierce protests against Donald Trump's hardline immigration policies in Los Angeles, journalists, including those from Agence France-Presse (AFP), were hit by rubber bullets.
The confrontations, which occurred during a wave of protests in numerous US cities, occured as security forces moved to disperse the crowds. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) confirmed using "non-lethal ammunition" like rubber bullets, but insisted journalists were not the target.
The contentious protests, branded "No Kings," saw hundreds of thousands rally against the US president. The clashes started as a response to Trump's planned military parade in Washington, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the US Army and coinciding with his 79th birthday.
Protests in Los Angeles had been ongoing since the previous week, fueled by Trump's controversial immigration measures. These actions led to the deployment of National Guard troops and soldiers in the city, and, unfortunately, more instances of journalists being hit by rubber bullets, such as reporters from The Guardian and the New York Post.
Rubber Bullets and the LAPD's Aggressive Tactics
The Los Angeles protests reached worrying levels, prompting a city-wide curfew on June 10, 2025, impacting the downtown area. The unrest led to a marked police response, with the LAPD deploying rubber bullets as a crowd control measure.
During the chaos, several allegations surfaced of reporters being caught in the crossfire. One notable example was a 9News journalist, Lauren Tomasi, who was hit while reporting live on the scene. Videos showed the LAPD advancing on horseback and firing rubber bullets at demonstrators—some of whom were simply moving through the area, not actively protesting aggressively.
These findings suggest that foreign correspondents, including AFP photographers, might have faced similar treatment while covering the contentious protests in Los Angeles. Although specific reports naming AFP photographers directly are not present, the encounter of an Australian journalist and other reporters implies that international journalists were put at risk while working in the field.
- Amidst the heated protests in Los Angeles against Donald Trump's immigration policies, politics and general-news reports revealed that AFP photographers were wounded by rubber gunshot, indicating a potential risk for journalists covering crime-and-justice incidents during these contentious events.
- As the LAPD used rubber bullets as a crowd control measure in the Los Angeles protests, concerns about the safety of journalists, such as those from Agence France-Presse, arose due to allegations of reporters being caught in the crossfire, a situation that seemingly placed foreign correspondents, including AFP photographers, in harm's way while covering the unfolding events in the city.
