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{
"title": "Photojournalist shot with pepper balls at LA immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-shot-with-pepper-balls-at-la-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-08-08T17:43:27.034065Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-08-08T17:43:27.034065Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-08-08T17:40:34.455328Z",
"date": "2025-06-11",
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"city": "Los Angeles",
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"5hndh\">Freelance photojournalist Jen Golbeck was shot with multiple crowd-control munitions by sheriff’s deputies while reporting on anti-deportation protests in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 11, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"3uuu3\">The protests <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">began</a> June 6 in response to federal raids in and around Los Angeles of workplaces and areas where immigrant day laborers gathered, amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. After demonstrators clashed with LA law enforcement officers and federal agents, President Donald Trump called in the California National Guard and then the U.S. Marines over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.</p><p data-block-key=\"75heu\">Golbeck told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that the June 11 protest was “pretty typical.”</p><p data-block-key=\"2rhcq\">“Flags and signs, people marching entirely peacefully,” she said. “They had marched to the front of City Hall and there were a million police and sheriff’s officers.”</p><p data-block-key=\"2rrsc\">At approximately 7:30 p.m. — shortly before a <a href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-06-11/downtown-los-angeles-curfew-explainer\">curfew</a> was to go into effect — Golbeck told the Tracker she observed an individual shouting at a line of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies.</p><p data-block-key=\"2v1s2\">Moments later, an officer fired a pepper ball at the man at point-blank range. The individual then threw a can at the deputy who shot him, and was in turn fired upon several more times. Deputies then turned their attention toward a gaggle of journalists nearby.</p><p data-block-key=\"3379e\">“One of them had that gun with pepper balls in it, in a little hopper on the top, and he just started shooting at us,” Golbeck said. “Some of the balls were hitting the ground, some were hitting our feet and ankles, and it took a second to realize that he was shooting at us.</p><p data-block-key=\"119b3\">“They didn’t give us any orders. They didn’t tell us to move. There were no protesters around.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">They also shot me and a group of photographers with those pepper balls, which was weird because they had not given us orders and we weren't by any demonstrators🤷♀️ <a href=\"https://t.co/iH2dZ0aXB6\">pic.twitter.com/iH2dZ0aXB6</a></p>— Dr. Jen Golbeck (@jengolbeck) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/jengolbeck/status/1933052456222798003?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 12, 2025</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"5hndh\">She told the Tracker that the group of journalists quickly jogged about 10 feet away down the street, but the officer fired a second volley at them and they were forced to keep running.</p><p data-block-key=\"cb7st\">Golbeck recounted the incident in an <a href=\"https://www.huffpost.com/entry/journalists-los-angeles-ice-protests-police-attack_n_68529febe4b038d013e30fd2\">article for HuffPost</a>, writing, “Because we were part of the press, bearing witness to what was happening, we initially assumed that we couldn’t possibly be the intended targets. I looked at the photographer to my right, and we laughed at the absurdity when we realized what was happening.”</p><p data-block-key=\"cnese\">She added that she was wearing bright blue “Press” patches on her helmet and body armor, a National Press Photographers Association credential around her neck and held professional cameras in each hand.</p><p data-block-key=\"adf6k\">When asked how many pepper balls struck her, Golbeck estimated three or four and noted that the rounds didn’t injure her. “I definitely didn’t get it as bad as some of those photojournalists who got shot with rubber bullets,” she added.</p><p data-block-key=\"7qtii\">In an emailed statement to the Tracker, the Sheriff’s Department said it prioritizes maintaining access for credentialed media, “especially during emergencies and critical incidents.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6ue0o\">“The LASD does not condone any actions that intentionally target members of the press, and we continuously train our personnel to distinguish and respect the rights of clearly identified journalists in the field,” a public information officer wrote. “We remain open to working with all media organizations to improve communication, transparency, and safety for all parties during public safety operations.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"au9z2\">Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies form a line as they respond to protests in downtown LA on June 11, 2025. Moments after capturing this photo, photojournalist Jen Golbeck was shot with multiple pepper ball munitions.</p>",
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"tags": [
"chemical irritant",
"immigration",
"protest",
"shot / shot at"
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{
"title": "Photojournalist struck with baton by police while documenting LA protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-struck-with-baton-by-police-while-documenting-la-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-08-26T21:17:46.832430Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-08-26T21:17:46.832430Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-08-26T21:17:46.570097Z",
"date": "2025-06-11",
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"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"68ork\">Spencer Platt, a photojournalist with Getty Images, was struck by a mounted officer wielding a baton while covering an anti-deportation protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 11, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"6gl2g\">It was one of many protests that <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">began</a> June 6 in response to federal raids in and around LA of workplaces and areas where immigrant day laborers gathered, amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. After demonstrators clashed with LA law enforcement officers and federal agents, President Donald Trump called in the California National Guard and then the U.S. Marines over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.</p><p data-block-key=\"5a0di\">On June 11, Platt, who was wearing a helmet and clearly identified as press, said mounted officers with the LA Police Department indiscriminately struck protesters and journalists with their police batons and were particularly forceful.</p><p data-block-key=\"95lpt\">“In general, I found the LAPD extremely aggressive and not very discriminating in how they come after people,” he told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. “They just came swinging.”</p><p data-block-key=\"49sjh\">Platt said while he was hit with the baton, he wasn’t sure if he was targeted by police or not, as he frequently gets close to his subjects when shooting events as they unfold.</p><p data-block-key=\"5ed3\">“It is completely possible that the protester was the intended target,” he told the Tracker. “I shoot with a wide lens, and I have to get really close. So sometimes, you get whacked. It’s just part of the job.”</p><p data-block-key=\"520hu\">When reached for comment, the LAPD directed the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker to the department’s social media accounts. In a June 12 <a href=\"https://x.com/LAPDPIO/status/1934663901607809139\">statement posted to X,</a> the department acknowledged that LAPD officers used numerous “less-lethal munitions” when responding to the protests, but did not address the use of force against identifiable press.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Lindenfeld_image.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"l85qr\">Los Angeles Police Department officers on horseback during an immigration protest in downtown LA on June 11, 2025. Getty Images photographer Spencer Platt was struck with a police baton by a mounted officer while documenting the demonstration.</p>",
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"name": "California",
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{
"title": "Reporter shoved, notebook damaged at Washington state protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-shoved-notebook-damaged-at-washington-state-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-08-08T18:04:31.374543Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-08-08T18:04:31.374543Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-08-08T18:04:26.709218Z",
"date": "2025-06-11",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Spokane",
"longitude": -117.42908,
"latitude": 47.65966,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"hh3ah\">A reporter for a local news outlet was shoved multiple times by federal officers while reporting on an anti-deportation protest in Spokane, Washington, on June 11, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"e5oe5\">Former Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart called for the community to gather in protest following the detention of two Venezuelan immigrants living in the city, local broadcast station KREM <a href=\"https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/protests/spokane-police-reports-reveal-new-details-from-june-ice-protest/293-c81a6728-e348-47dc-9239-9f72acbff8af\">reported</a>. Stuckart was considered the legal guardian of one of the individuals, a young man who had aged out of a program that allowed certain immigrant children to seek lawful permanent residency the day before he was detained, <a href=\"https://rangemedia.co/everything-we-know-about-the-spokane-ice-protests/\">according to Range Media</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"98i6o\">The local reporter, who asked to remain anonymous because they had not been authorized to speak about their experiences, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that they arrived to start covering the protests at approximately 1:45 p.m. The demonstration was centered around the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in downtown Spokane.</p><p data-block-key=\"2a2nn\">“For hours, protesters had blocked an ICE transport van with their bodies but things had been relatively calm,” the reporter said. “Then, a few hours in, I heard shouting from around the other side of the building and I sprinted around the corner where a gate had been opened and ICE were attempting to leave. Protesters were linking arms to try and stop the vehicle.”</p><p data-block-key=\"73bcn\">The reporter told the Tracker they had a bright yellow press credential clipped to their shirt and filmed using their cellphone, being careful to stand on public property to the side of the gate and separate from the gathering protesters.</p><p data-block-key=\"fuagr\">“Then, ICE agents also came around the back corner and started forcefully shoving protesters,” they said. “I declared verbally, ‘I’m press!’ multiple times. I had my notebook in one hand and my phone, recording, in the other.</p><p data-block-key=\"vmlb\">“An agent shoved me hard. I again declared I was press and got shoved again, and my notebook ripped out of my hand and tossed on the ground.”</p><p data-block-key=\"dr3dq\">They told the Tracker that a page containing reporting notes about the day’s events had been ripped out of the notebook and, by the time they found it later, it was too torn, dirty and trampled to read.</p><p data-block-key=\"egsqr\">The reporter said that their editor has spoken with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and is determining whether to file an official complaint or civil case against the federal agents.</p><p data-block-key=\"fdq2\">The ICE Office of Public Affairs did not respond to an emailed request for comment.</p></div>",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"ex6n4\">Protesters gather outside a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in downtown Spokane, Washington, on June 11, 2025. A reporter for a local news outlet was shoved by ICE agents and their reporting notebook damaged while covering the protest.</p>",
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{
"title": "Journalist shoved to the ground by police at immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-shoved-to-the-ground-by-police-at-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-07-11T17:36:05.321738Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-07-11T17:36:05.321738Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-07-11T17:17:11.325521Z",
"date": "2025-06-11",
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"city": "Whittier",
"longitude": -118.03284,
"latitude": 33.97918,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"28kcs\">Freelance journalist Sean Beckner-Carmitchel was knocked to the ground by police and then struck in the back with a baton in Whittier, California, while documenting immigration protests on June 11, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"597ep\">The protests <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">began</a> June 6 in response to federal raids in and around LA of workplaces and areas where immigrant day laborers gathered, amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. After demonstrators clashed with local law enforcement officers and federal agents, President Donald Trump called in the California National Guard and then the U.S. Marines over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.</p><p data-block-key=\"e1249\">Beckner-Carmitchel told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was freelancing for the Los Angeles Public Press, reporting on demonstrations at the DoubleTree Hotel in Whittier, where protesters believed federal immigration officials were staying as they carried out raids throughout Los Angeles County.</p><p data-block-key=\"49dq1\">In a post on the social platform Bluesky, Beckner-Carmitchel wrote that Whittier Police Department officers <a href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/acatwithnews.bsky.social/post/3lrf6vo54js22\">arrived</a> after a <a href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/acatwithnews.bsky.social/post/3lrf6hatw5222\">window was broken</a>. In photos and footage he posted, the officers appear to be positioned to prevent protesters from entering the hotel.</p><p data-block-key=\"783qf\">He told the Tracker that officers then came rushing out of the hotel to push back the crowd.</p><p data-block-key=\"ahqn3\">“When Whittier PD surged out of the hotel, an officer pushed me with his baton and I lost my balance and fell,” Beckner-Carmitchel said. “While I was on the ground, I also had an officer put his hand on me. I don’t necessarily want to call it a punch, but there was force.”</p><p data-block-key=\"ducul\">In <a href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/acatwithnews.bsky.social/post/3lrf7fsathk26\">footage</a> he posted to Bluesky, officers can be seen charging forward, pushing the crowd with their batons and shouting “Back! Get the fuck back!” It appears that two officers pushed Beckner-Carmitchel, knocking him to the ground. As he begins to get up, another officer seems to rush toward him, striking and pushing the journalist back down despite him shouting, “Press! Press! Press!”</p><p data-block-key=\"a4jfu\">Beckner-Carmitchel told the Tracker he was able to get up once the officers had moved past him, but he was left with bruises on his left arm and hip.</p><p data-block-key=\"61f0d\">In a <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DKz6vXoy1Un/?img_index=1\">statement</a> posted on Instagram, the city of Whittier and the Whittier Police Department said that the claims that federal agents were staying at the hotel were incorrect.</p><p data-block-key=\"477gg\">“In response to an urgent plea from hotel management, a regional law enforcement response, led by the Whittier Police Department, was activated to help restore safety,” the statement said. “The crowd was safely dispersed around 2:00 a.m., with no injuries reported and no arrests made.”</p><p data-block-key=\"a5fqe\">Whittier police did not respond to a request for further comment.</p></div>",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"o1b92\">Officers push back anti-deportation protesters from a hotel entrance in Whittier, California, on June 11, 2025. Police knocked journalist Sean Beckner-Carmitchel to the ground seconds later, and another officer struck him before he was able to get up.</p>",
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{
"title": "Photographer struck by police horse, crowd-control munition while covering LA protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-struck-by-police-horse-crowd-control-munition-while-covering-la-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-07-10T19:17:39.822838Z",
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"longitude": -118.24368,
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"o073f\">Freelance photographer Montez Harris was charged repeatedly by a police horse and shot with a crowd-control munition while reporting on anti-deportation protests in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 11, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"f2bbp\">The protests <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">began</a> June 6 in response to federal raids in and around Los Angeles of workplaces and areas where immigrant day laborers gathered, amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. After demonstrators clashed with LA law enforcement officers and federal agents, President Donald Trump called in the California National Guard and then the U.S. Marines over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.</p><p data-block-key=\"101s0\">At the time of the incident, Harris was filming at Grand Park in front of Los Angeles City Hall with a large camera and long lens, and had a camera bag, according to a <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/documents/f80d5239-5017-4e63-bb95-ab1e84210301.pdf\">lawsuit</a> filed by the Los Angeles Press Club and others against the Los Angeles Police Department earlier this month over alleged attacks against journalists.</p><p data-block-key=\"296fd\">An LAPD officer on horseback then charged his horse into Harris at least two times, according to the lawsuit and a <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKyS2XzRXSo/\">video</a> of the incident. “Leave the area,” officers screamed at Harris, who was already walking away.</p><p data-block-key=\"desn1\">“Get out of here or you’re gonna get shot,” said another officer, who was on foot. Harris was later shot with a crowd-control munition, according to Adam Rose, chair of the L.A. Press Club’s press rights committee.</p><p data-block-key=\"9ul6f\">Soon after that, a third officer, also on foot, can be seen in the video shoving Harris.</p><p data-block-key=\"flffj\">Harris declined to comment when contacted by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"ael9b\">The LAPD, when reached for comment, directed the Tracker to the department’s social media accounts, where statements and comments would be posted. The account does not appear to have posted any comment concerning the incident involving Harris.</p><p data-block-key=\"bfj3e\">Two days before this incident, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell <a href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jun/10/albanese-says-footage-of-nine-journalist-lauren-tomasi-being-shot-by-police-with-rubber-bullet-is-horrific\">said</a> in a press conference that he was “very concerned” about reports that journalists were being hit by crowd-control munitions.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/AP25163201292892.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"xts4m\">Police outside Los Angeles City Hall during a protest over federal immigration raids on June 11, 2025. Photographer Montez Harris was charged by a police horse and shot with a crowd-control munition while documenting the demonstration.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"name": "California",
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"tags": [
"immigration",
"protest",
"shot / shot at"
],
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"Assault"
],
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"Montez Harris (Freelance)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Korea Daily photojournalist shot with projectile while covering LA immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/korea-daily-photojournalist-shot-with-projectile-while-covering-la-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-07-14T20:23:42.641294Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-07-14T20:23:42.641294Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-07-14T20:23:42.556412Z",
"date": "2025-06-11",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"lmewy\">Sangjin Kim, a photojournalist for The Korea Daily, was shot in the back with an impact projectile while covering an immigration protest in Los Angeles, California, on the night of June 11, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"84on0\">The protest was part of a wave of demonstrations that began <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">June 6</a> in response to federal immigration raids targeting day laborers across LA. As clashes escalated, President Donald Trump deployed the California National Guard and later the U.S. Marines, actions condemned by Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.</p><p data-block-key=\"6s3c4\">Kim <a href=\"https://www.koreadailyus.com/koreatown-protest-police-response/\">documented</a> the June 11 protest as demonstrators marched through Koreatown. When tensions escalated into a standoff with police, around 10 p.m., officers with the Los Angeles Police Department opened fire with crowd-control munitions. As projectiles flew, Kim turned to run.</p><p data-block-key=\"5hl0q\">“As I attempted to move away for safety — turning my back and running — I was shot in the back,” Kim told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker via email. “Despite the injury, I remained at the scene and continued photographing.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-aligned_image\"><figure class=\"inline-media full-width\">\n \n\n\n<img src=\"https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/KakaoTalk_Photo_2025-06-19-08-53-30_004.width-828.jpg\" width=\"828\" height=\"621\" alt=\"The Korea Daily/Sangjin Kim\">\n\n \n <figcaption class=\"inline-media__caption\">\n\t\t\t<p data-block-key=\"zz9lz\">A bruise on the back of The Korea Daily photojournalist Sangjin Kim, who was struck by an impact projectile while covering a protest in Koreatown in Los Angeles, California, on June 11, 2025.</p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<span\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"media-attribution\"\n\t\t\t\t> — The Korea Daily/Sangjin Kim\n\t\t\t\t</span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t</figcaption>\n \n</figure>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"lmewy\">Although Kim carried his professional camera gear, he wasn’t wearing a press credential because his LAPD-issued badge had expired. He said he doubts officers recognized him as a journalist amid the turmoil and poor visibility that night. Still, he believes the shot was intentionally aimed at him.</p><p data-block-key=\"fjokg\">“I believe it was targeted. I was not standing between crowds — I was running away and still got hit. It felt deliberate,” Kim said.</p><p data-block-key=\"5dlm8\">The shot left a large bruise on his back that caused him pain for two weeks. “I was fortunate that the injury was not more serious,” Kim said. Undeterred, he returned to work the following day.</p><p data-block-key=\"65c85\">“I’ve long believed in the importance of a functioning public authority. Without it, even a country like the U.S. can fall into chaos,” Kim said. “But law enforcement must also operate within reasonable bounds. Recent actions — both by police and immigration officers — seem to exceed that boundary.”</p><p data-block-key=\"2r3u3\">When reached for comment, the LAPD directed the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker to the department’s social media accounts. In a statement posted to social platform <a href=\"https://x.com/LAPDPIO/status/1933200324829102494\">X,</a> the department said it and other law enforcement agencies responded to protests and criminal activity in the downtown area, using numerous crowd-control munitions.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/1-65.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"gujty\">A protester holds a U.S. flag during a protest in Koreatown in Los Angeles, California, on June 11, 2025. Sangjin Kim, a photojournalist with The Korea Daily, was shot in the back with a projectile while covering the protest.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"actor": null,
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"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "no",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
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"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
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"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"immigration",
"protest",
"shot / shot at"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Sangjin Kim (The Korea Daily)"
],
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"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Reporter pushed by police horse while covering LA immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/reporter-pushed-by-police-horse-while-covering-la-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-07-17T18:01:51.329653Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-07-17T18:01:51.329653Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-07-17T18:01:44.378189Z",
"date": "2025-06-11",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"1imlm\">Romi De Frias, a national reporter for Univision, was thrust forward by a mounted police officer while covering a protest in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 11, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"64dvr\">The protests <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">began</a> June 6 in response to federal raids in and around Los Angeles of workplaces and areas where immigrant day laborers gathered, amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. After demonstrators clashed with LA law enforcement officers and federal agents, President Donald Trump called in the California National Guard over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.</p><p data-block-key=\"al9m4\">In a video posted to <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKyYcgyAmrb/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\">Instagram</a>, a mounted officer with the Los Angeles Police Department can be seen striking protesters with a baton and pushing De Frias and others as law enforcement on horseback moved in to disperse the crowd.</p><p data-block-key=\"ak86c\">In another video provided by the LA Press Club and reviewed by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, De Frias is seen navigating the protest and reporting as officers form a skirmish line to block demonstrators from advancing. Protesters chant “Peaceful protest!” as De Frias holds a Univision-branded microphone and speaks to the camera.</p><p data-block-key=\"1ehvg\">As mounted officers advance on horseback, the footage shows De Frias moving with the crowd. When one of the officers’ horses pushes her, she audibly gasps. “Let’s go,” officers can be heard urging the throng of people.</p><p data-block-key=\"e53h4\">“I’m OK! Oh, my god,” De Frias says, visibly startled as flash bangs go off nearby. The video shows her continuing to report while walking, trailed closely by the mounted officers. “Be careful, be careful, we’re OK, I’m OK,” she says to the camera.</p><p data-block-key=\"5htm7\">Neither Univision nor De Frias responded to requests for comment. In a statement to the Tracker regarding other employees assaulted while covering the protest, Univision News President Daniel Coronell said the team continued its reporting amid a tense environment and was doing well.</p><p data-block-key=\"amrfq\">“We condemn any type of aggression against those who fulfill their duty to inform citizens,” Coronell wrote. “The authorities must protect journalistic work and guarantee access and safety in places of newsworthy locations.”</p><p data-block-key=\"cndh\">When reached for comment, the LAPD directed the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker to the department’s social media accounts. In a statement posted to <a href=\"https://x.com/LAPDPIO/status/1932838116722982997/photo/1\">X,</a> the department said it and other law enforcement agencies responded to “protests and criminal activity” in the downtown area, using numerous crowd-control munitions. It did not address the use of force against identifiable press.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Romi_De_Frias_Screenshot_2025-07-.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"2oitb\">Video screenshot shows the moment reporter Romi De Frias is pushed by a mounted police officer during an immigration protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 11, 2025.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
"did_authorities_ask_about_work": null,
"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "no",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
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"status_of_prior_restraint": null,
"mistakenly_released_materials": false,
"links": [],
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"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
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"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"immigration",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Romi De Frias (Univision)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Cameraman hit with crowd-control munition while covering LA protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/cameraman-hit-with-crowd-control-munition-while-covering-la-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-06-18T16:18:26.805054Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-06-18T16:18:26.805054Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-06-18T16:18:19.366671Z",
"date": "2025-06-10",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ecf2s\">A cameraman for ABC Australia was struck by a crowd-control munition fired by law enforcement and tear-gassed while covering an immigration protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 10, 2025, the <a href=\"https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-10/marines-set-to-arrive-in-la-as-abc-camera-operator-hit/105400924\">outlet</a> reported.</p><p data-block-key=\"anqeo\">The protests <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">began</a> June 6 in response to federal raids in and around Los Angeles of workplaces and areas where immigrant day laborers gathered, amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. After demonstrators clashed with Los Angeles law enforcement officers and federal agents, President Donald Trump called in the California National Guard and then the U.S. Marines over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.</p><p data-block-key=\"3skuu\">In the early hours of June 10, the cameraman was <a href=\"https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-10/abc-camera-operator-hit-in-chest-by-less-lethal-round/105401032\">filming</a> protesters in the Little Tokyo district of downtown LA pushing garbage bins toward a line of police standing in a street when he was hit. On the video, a person can be heard saying “hit in the chest” as the camera falls sideways.</p><p data-block-key=\"85itq\">He was struck with what may have been a rubber or foam round, but was wearing a bulletproof Kevlar vest, the outlet said. It did not specify which branch of law enforcement fired the round.</p><p data-block-key=\"37ebl\">ABC said he described the pain as “like being punched in the chest.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1ibk1\">He was working with a crew that included correspondent Lauren Day, who <a href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/11/number-of-australian-journalists-hit-by-us-law-enforcement-during-la-protests-climbs-to-four\">told</a> The Guardian, “He was thankfully wearing a Kevlar vest at the time so was totally uninjured and didn’t even wake up with a bruise.</p><p data-block-key=\"fqgf\">“We didn’t see what he was hit by but I’m just grateful whatever it was didn’t strike his neck or face where it might have really done some damage,” she added.</p><p data-block-key=\"etd7s\">The Guardian <a href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/11/number-of-australian-journalists-hit-by-us-law-enforcement-during-la-protests-climbs-to-four\">reported</a> that the cameraman was a freelancer and was not Australian.</p><p data-block-key=\"5d7ih\">Day told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that earlier that night, she and her crew had been filming a peaceful standoff in Little Tokyo between protesters and officers she believed to be from the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, when suddenly they heard bangs and “were overcome with the impacts of tear gas (burning eyes, nose, mouth and throat).”</p><p data-block-key=\"44snq\">She added that the incidents have “certainly made us much more vigilant about security and less trusting of law enforcement.”</p><p data-block-key=\"edso1\">“I have reported from the Middle East five times since October 7 and from Myanmar during the civil war there but I never expected to see scenes like this when I moved to the U.S. earlier this year.”</p><p data-block-key=\"bl3f0\">When reached for comment, the LAPD directed the Tracker to the department’s social media accounts, where statements and comments would be posted. The account does not appear to have posted any comment concerning the shooting of the ABC cameraman or the tear-gassing of the crew.</p><p data-block-key=\"6bnnl\">LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell <a href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jun/10/albanese-says-footage-of-nine-journalist-lauren-tomasi-being-shot-by-police-with-rubber-bullet-is-horrific\">said</a> in a press conference June 9 that he was “very concerned” about reports that members of the press were being hit by crowd-control munitions.</p><p data-block-key=\"ba3tj\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 10, the Sheriff’s Department said it prioritizes maintaining access for credentialed media, “especially during emergencies and critical incidents.”</p><p data-block-key=\"aq5nj\">“The LASD does not condone any actions that intentionally target members of the press, and we continuously train our personnel to distinguish and respect the rights of clearly identified journalists in the field,” a public information officer wrote. “We remain open to working with all media organizations to improve communication, transparency, and safety for all parties during public safety operations.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/ABC_photog.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"kn6yj\">Protesters in downtown Los Angeles push garbage bins toward law enforcement officers on June 10, 2025. Moments later, an ABC Australia cameraman who was filming the events was struck in the chest by a crowd-control munition.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
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"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
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"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
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"stopped_previously": false,
"did_authorities_ask_for_device_access": null,
"did_authorities_ask_about_work": null,
"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "unknown",
"charged_under_espionage_act": false,
"subpoena_type": null,
"name_of_business": null,
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"links": [],
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"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
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"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"chemical irritant",
"immigration",
"protest",
"shot / shot at"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Anonymous photojournalist 7 (ABC [Australia])"
],
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"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "LA Times reporter shoved by officer while covering immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/la-times-reporter-shoved-by-officer-while-covering-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-07-22T19:45:01.449176Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-07-22T19:45:28.606341Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-07-22T19:45:28.506925Z",
"date": "2025-06-10",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"fc415\">James Queally, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, said he was shoved by a police officer while covering an anti-deportation protest in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 10, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"dgqud\">A series of protests <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">began</a> June 6 in response to federal raids in and around LA of workplaces and areas where immigrant day laborers gathered, amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. After demonstrators clashed with LA law enforcement officers and federal agents, President Donald Trump called in the California National Guard over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.</p><p data-block-key=\"30ga8\">In an interview with the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, Queally said he was reporting on a protest led by interfaith clergy near the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building, a federal complex that includes an immigration detention center.</p><p data-block-key=\"8h71s\">As an 8 p.m. curfew approached, Queally said the scene grew chaotic. Multiple law enforcement agencies were present, and the LA Police Department was moving in to disperse crowds. Mounted police units added to the confusion.</p><p data-block-key=\"6jqvf\">Queally, clearly displaying press credentials, was filming the police skirmish line from at least 10 feet away when an officer accused him of impeding police work. The officer then yelled that Queally was violating curfew and ordered him to leave. Queally reminded him that the curfew did not apply to journalists. As he jogged to reposition, the officer ran up behind him and shoved him.</p><p data-block-key=\"f08p4\">“I didn’t even fall down. There was no injury, but it was just a completely unnecessary maneuver,” he said. Queally later posted on the social platform X: “Could’ve done without the officer shoving me in response to a reminder that media is exempt from the curfew. Oh well, they’re just laws I guess.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https://twitter.com/LAPDHQ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@LAPDHQ</a> now chasing people up Temple. The crowd is dwindling and has largely dispersed. Could’ve done without the officer shoving me in response to a reminder that media is exempt from the curfew. Oh well, they’re just laws I guess.</p>— James Queally (@JamesQueallyLAT) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/JamesQueallyLAT/status/1932648765045027194?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 11, 2025</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"fc415\">Earlier, Queally <a href=\"https://x.com/JamesQueallyLAT/status/1931809345429540889\">posted on X</a> after a June 8 demonstration where the National Guard and Department of Homeland Security agents deployed chemical agents — including tear gas canisters and smoke grenades — along with impact projectiles that struck both protesters and the media. “I got hit but fine after an eye rinse,” he added of the exposure to the pepper ball irritant.</p><p data-block-key=\"4d1o5\">In a June 11 post, Queally reflected on the week’s confrontations with law enforcement, “Journalism is not a crime.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I've been tear gassed, shot at with pepper balls and shoved by officers this week. And it's got nothing on some of the worst stuff that's gone down.<br><br>Journalism is not a crime. <a href=\"https://t.co/2JrRmDW66u\">https://t.co/2JrRmDW66u</a></p>— James Queally (@JamesQueallyLAT) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/JamesQueallyLAT/status/1932979065058890022?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 12, 2025</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"fc415\">Throughout the protests, police aimed crowd-control weapons above the chest at anyone, including press, and ignored clear media credentials, according to Queally.</p><p data-block-key=\"fnsrq\">“Their inability to delineate media and demonstrators, or their unwillingness to do so lately, definitely makes me a little bit more inclined to be off to the side,” he said.</p><p data-block-key=\"chqm2\">To mitigate the chances of being hit, Queally said he generally stands about 15 to 20 feet away from the action, enough distance to still observe and newsgather.</p><p data-block-key=\"eg16j\">“It’s the cost of doing business covering protests,” he said. “I’m not OK with getting hurt, but I’m at peace with the fact that it’s a risk.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4jb9t\">The LAPD directed the Tracker to the department’s social media accounts. In a June 10 <a href=\"https://x.com/LAPDPIO/status/1934663901607809139\">statement posted to X,</a> the department acknowledged that LAPD officers used numerous “less-lethal rounds” when responding to the protests, but did not address the use of munitions against identifiable press.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"es11p\">Law enforcement and protesters face off during an immigration protest in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 10, 2025. LA Times reporter James Queally said he was shoved by police while covering the demonstration.</p>",
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"protest"
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{
"title": "Video journalist hit by crowd-control munition while covering LA protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/video-journalist-hit-by-crowd-control-munition-while-covering-la-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-07-03T15:50:03.757188Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-07-17T17:58:30.291609Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-07-17T17:58:30.203309Z",
"date": "2025-06-10",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"pngeb\">Gabriel Ovalle, an editor and camera operator for digital media outlet Channel 5, was struck with a crowd-control munition fired by a Los Angeles Police Department officer while covering an immigration protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 10, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"aeq18\">The protests <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">began</a> June 6 in response to federal raids in and around LA of workplaces and areas where immigrant day laborers gathered, amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. After demonstrators clashed with LA law enforcement officers and federal agents, President Donald Trump called in the California National Guard and then the U.S. Marines over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.</p><p data-block-key=\"cglgf\">Ovalle told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was walking backward ahead of a group of peaceful protesters in downtown LA at around 9:45 p.m. when he was hit in the side with an impact projectile.</p><p data-block-key=\"blrn2\">“It was clear that I was filming them walking. There weren’t a lot of projectiles flying around yet and I was isolated, so I do believe I was targeted. It’s just unclear if they could tell I was covering the event or not.”</p><p data-block-key=\"af2ob\">Ovalle said he sustained a bruise that lasted a few weeks. He added that he had “temporary discomfort” from tear gas that was also fired.</p><p data-block-key=\"6tv51\">Channel 5 <a href=\"https://x.com/Channel5iveNews/status/1932497835288560088\">posted</a> on the social platform X on June 10 a photo of Ovalle’s injury and video of the moment he was hit.</p><p data-block-key=\"3p464\">It added, “Whether or not the LAPD is explicitly targeting the press, the press is getting caught in the crossfire.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">One of our editors & camera operators, Gabriel Ovalle, was shot with a rubber bullet while documenting night 2 of the LA protests. Whether or not the LAPD is explicitly targeting the press, the press is getting caught in the crossfire <a href=\"https://t.co/A1uIPlz9jb\">pic.twitter.com/A1uIPlz9jb</a></p>— Channel 5 (@Channel5iveNews) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Channel5iveNews/status/1932497835288560088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 10, 2025</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"pngeb\">A federal <a href=\"https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/LAPD-v-City-of-LA-Complaint-6-16-2025.pdf\">lawsuit</a> filed by the LA Press Club and outlet Status Coup against the city and the LAPD chief on June 16 alleged that the department was using excessive force against journalists covering the protests and violating their rights to document public events. The suit cited Ovalle as one example, stating that he had been struck by crowd-control munitions fired by LAPD officers on June 10.</p><p data-block-key=\"dskuk\">Ovalle said that he felt “there is a palpable hostility, and it’s clear they want to discourage full, free coverage.”</p><p data-block-key=\"fkijo\">“I hope this doesn’t discourage anyone from showing up and covering what is going on,” he added.</p><p data-block-key=\"f2844\">When reached for comment, the LAPD directed the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker to the department’s social media accounts. In a June 11 <a href=\"https://x.com/LAPDPIO/status/1934663901607809139\">statement posted to X,</a> the department acknowledged that LAPD officers used numerous “less-lethal rounds” when responding to the protests, but did not address the use of munitions against identifiable press.</p><p data-block-key=\"c28sb\"><i>Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include comments and further details about the assault from Ovalle, and additional information from the Los Angeles Police Department.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"hr92i\">Police block a street during a protest on June 10, 2025, in Los Angeles, California. Gabriel Ovalle, an editor and camera operator for Channel 5, was struck with a crowd-control munition while covering a protest that day.</p>",
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"shot / shot at"
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{
"title": "Journalist struck by foam round while covering LA immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-struck-by-foam-round-while-covering-la-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-07-16T19:34:51.880147Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-07-16T19:34:51.880147Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-07-16T19:25:32.876187Z",
"date": "2025-06-09",
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"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ziylq\">Ford Fischer, editor-in-chief and co-founder of the independent media outlet News2Share, was struck by a foam projectile while filming a protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"8p383\">The protests <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">began</a> June 6 in response to federal raids in and around Los Angeles of workplaces and areas where immigrant day laborers gathered, amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. After demonstrators clashed with LA law enforcement officers and federal agents, President Donald Trump called in the California National Guard over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.</p><p data-block-key=\"bk0o1\">Fischer had traveled to LA to document the protests and spent four consecutive days on the ground. He told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was filming a tense but mostly stagnant standoff between protesters and the Los Angeles Police Department when some demonstrators began throwing objects. Officers responded with tear gas and impact rounds.</p><p data-block-key=\"3iqo4\">At the time, Fischer was positioned near a group of journalists and clearly identifiable as press. He wore a Capitol Hill press badge and carried a full-size studio camera rig with a mounted phone for livestreaming — gear he described as “unmistakable.”</p><p data-block-key=\"9oqau\">In a video Fischer posted to social platform X, a wide gap is visible between protesters and police officers, with some demonstrators throwing objects toward the police line. As officers returned fire with what Fischer identified as 40 mm foam rounds, one struck him about 30 seconds into the footage.</p><p data-block-key=\"5n4s5\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Correction: Apparently this was likely a 40mm foam round rather than a rubber coated bullet.<br><br>Either way, video below:<a href=\"https://t.co/dBld6gba4e\">https://t.co/dBld6gba4e</a></p>— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/FordFischer/status/1932339238869287034?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 10, 2025</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ziylq\">“Got shot in the stomach,” he said with a groan, while continuing to document the scene as flash-bang grenades exploded nearby.</p><p data-block-key=\"4631m\">The strike left a painful welt and a ring of burst blood vessels. The bruise, Fischer said, remained visible for more than a month. Though a friend later confirmed the injury wasn’t serious, he described the pain as “very sharp.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">If LAPD could not shoot me in the stomach with rubber bullets while I film them, that would be great. <a href=\"https://t.co/Ks4QlcERz1\">pic.twitter.com/Ks4QlcERz1</a></p>— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/FordFischer/status/1932305243657945404?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 10, 2025</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ziylq\">“They knew, or should have known, that I was press,” he told the Tracker. “It’s either a negligent act to then hit me, an unacceptable mistake, or it was specifically targeted.”</p><p data-block-key=\"2e7tr\">He kept filming for another 20 to 30 minutes that night, then returned to cover the protests over the next three days. But the incident shifted his sense of safety.</p><p data-block-key=\"970u4\">“It creates a greater level of precaution,” Fischer said. “I might be more bold about my vicinity to the action if I wasn’t as scared of the possibility of being hit.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6pdo0\">When reached for comment, the LAPD directed the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker to the department’s social media accounts. In a June 10 <a href=\"https://x.com/LAPDPIO/status/1934663901607809139\">statement posted to X,</a> the department acknowledged that LAPD officers used numerous “less-lethal rounds” when responding to the protests, but did not address the use of munitions against identifiable press.</p><p data-block-key=\"a8o2r\">The Tracker has documented <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?targeted_journalists=Ford%20Fischer\">four other instances</a> in which Fischer was assaulted while covering protests, including two involving law enforcement.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"494qi\">Law enforcement officers stand face-to-face with a protester during an anti-deportation demonstration in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025. Independent journalist Ford Fischer was struck by a projectile while filming the protest that day.</p>",
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{
"title": "Freelance photojournalist detained in police kettle in downtown LA",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/freelance-photojournalist-detained-in-police-kettle-in-downtown-la/",
"first_published_at": "2025-06-19T19:08:13.046166Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-06-19T19:08:13.046166Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-06-19T19:08:12.878664Z",
"date": "2025-06-09",
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"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"p45ji\">Freelance photojournalist Alex Brittenham was detained in a kettle by police while covering an anti-deportation protest in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"ekrda\">The protests <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">began</a> June 6 in response to federal raids in and around LA of workplaces and areas where immigrant day laborers gathered, amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. After demonstrators clashed with local law enforcement officers and federal agents, President Donald Trump called in the California National Guard and then the U.S. Marines over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.</p><p data-block-key=\"e30f5\">Brittenham told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that she had been documenting the protests since June 8, noting that the protests the following day centered around the Metropolitan Detention Center were in her observation nonviolent.</p><p data-block-key=\"ctn71\">“There was singing and dancing in the street,” she said. “I personally was unaware that an unlawful assembly was declared or that dispersal orders were given.”</p><p data-block-key=\"94i1g\">Officers began herding the crowd, Brittenham said, and by approximately 8:30 p.m. had surrounded them using a technique called kettling, which she had never experienced before.</p><p data-block-key=\"21b1a\">“I had asked, ‘I am media, I blatantly have my camera in my hand and all my gear on my back. Can I please leave? I’m just here to capture images, I’m not here to do any harm. I just want to leave,’” she told the Tracker. “I was told ‘no’ by multiple officers and that everyone in the area was under arrest.”</p><p data-block-key=\"10h4q\">Brittenham and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2025-06-09&date_upper=2025-06-09&city=Los+Angeles&tags=kettle&categories=Arrest%2FCriminal+Charge\">other journalists</a> caught in the kettle told the Tracker that police were removing journalists and demonstrators one by one, and did not make it clear whether members of the press would be charged. So, Brittenham said, she voluntarily approached the officers and identified herself as a member of the press.</p><p data-block-key=\"1dkri\">“I just wanted to state my case and get out,” she said.</p><p data-block-key=\"8ctr7\">When each of the journalists was removed from the kettle, officers directed them to place their hands behind their back and then held their arms in place while walking them out of the area. Once members of the press provided their names and basic information, officers allowed them to leave with a warning that, if they returned, they would be subject to arrest.</p><p data-block-key=\"48oqu\">Brittenham told the Tracker that she was particularly nervous as a freelancer without media credentials to present.</p><p data-block-key=\"7uaug\">“It’s kind of scary because you don’t have a badge to protect you,” she said. “I worried: If I don’t have those credentials, does it mean I’m under arrest even though I am covering this for freelance purposes?”</p><p data-block-key=\"eu13o\">When reached for comment, the Los Angeles Police Department directed the Tracker to the department’s social media accounts. But in a June 10 <a href=\"https://x.com/LAPDPIO/status/1932503206875312200\">news release</a> posted on social platform X about the previous evening’s arrests, the LAPD did not address the detainments and removal of journalists caught in the kettle.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"51kq5\">Police officers surround a crowd of demonstrators and press in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025. Freelance photojournalist Alex Brittenham was among those detained and later released without charges.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Los Angeles Police Department",
"arrest_status": "detained and released without being processed",
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"detention_date": "2025-06-09",
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"state": {
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},
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"kettle",
"protest"
],
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"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
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{
"title": "CNN correspondent detained, removed from protest zone in LA",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/cnn-correspondent-detained-removed-from-protest-zone-in-la/",
"first_published_at": "2025-06-10T20:36:49.085054Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-06-23T20:57:18.826347Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-06-23T20:57:18.722161Z",
"date": "2025-06-09",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"d5f6l\">Jason Carroll, a national correspondent for CNN, was pushed by police and later detained live on air while documenting anti-deportation demonstrations in Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"b37c9\">The protests <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">began</a> June 6 in response to federal raids in and around LA of workplaces and areas where immigrant day laborers gathered, amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. After demonstrators clashed with LA law enforcement officers and federal agents, President Donald Trump called in the California National Guard and then the U.S. Marines over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.</p><p data-block-key=\"ce7dk\">Carroll and his reporting team were covering demonstrations in downtown LA on June 9, and were caught in a rush by police at approximately 6:30 p.m. </p><p data-block-key=\"8ihur\">In <a href=\"https://x.com/MrOlmos/status/1932250194344845537\">footage</a> captured by CalMatters reporter Sergio Olmos, Los Angeles Police Department officers can be seen running directly into Carroll and members of his news crew, shoving them while shouting, “Move! Get out of the way!”</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">LAPD officers bull rush protesters and press, hitting them along the way indiscriminately <a href=\"https://t.co/hQdA3Wdjze\">pic.twitter.com/hQdA3Wdjze</a></p>— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/MrOlmos/status/1932250194344845537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 10, 2025</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"thw62\">Approximately two hours later, Carroll and his reporting team had just concluded a live report for the news program “Laura Coates Live” when they were approached by police.</p><p data-block-key=\"s4ft\">CNN cameras recorded as officers told Carroll that he needed to leave the area, directing him to place his arms behind his back and having two officers escort him outside the perimeter by the elbow.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">CNN’s reporter on scene in Los Angeles: I’m being detained.. <a href=\"https://t.co/DANNms8ZZj\">pic.twitter.com/DANNms8ZZj</a></p>— Acyn (@Acyn) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1932290084164051406?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 10, 2025</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"d5f6l\">“I said, ‘Am I being arrested?’ He said, ‘No, you’re not being arrested, you’re being detained,’” Carroll <a href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/10/us/video/jason-carroll-escorted-la-protest-digvid\">recounted</a>. “You take a lot of risks as press. This is low on that sort of scale of risks, but it is something that I wasn’t expecting, simply because we’ve been out here all day.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7cphb\">Carroll reported that officers took down his name and other basic information before releasing him. He did not respond to a request for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"c3vdj\">In an emailed statement to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, CNN said it was “pleased the situation resolved quickly once the reporting team presented law enforcement with their CNN credentials.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5tjm7\">When reached for comment, the LAPD directed the Tracker to the department’s social media accounts. But in a June 10 <a href=\"https://x.com/LAPDPIO/status/1932503206875312200\">news release</a> posted on social platform X about the previous evening’s arrests, the LAPD did not address the detainments and removal of journalists caught in the kettle.</p><p data-block-key=\"o091\"><i>Editor’s Note: This article was updated to include details about assaults suffered by the news crew earlier on June 9.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Carroll_CA_arrest.c9580858.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"djg8w\">CNN correspondent Jason Carroll, far left, was detained and escorted out of a protest zone by police officers while documenting anti-deportation demonstrations in Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Los Angeles Police Department",
"arrest_status": "detained and released without being processed",
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"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
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"categories": [
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{
"title": "Photojournalist struck in helmet by crowd-control munition at LA protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-struck-in-helmet-by-crowd-control-munition-at-la-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-06-26T19:36:07.898310Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-06-27T01:38:55.081580Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-06-27T01:38:54.963543Z",
"date": "2025-06-09",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"k3gpu\">Freelance photojournalist Michael Nigro was shot by police with a crowd-control munition, which ricocheted off his helmet, while documenting anti-deportation protests in Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"7shnu\">The protests <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">began</a> June 6 in response to federal raids in and around LA of workplaces and areas where immigrant day laborers gathered, amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. After demonstrators clashed with local law enforcement officers and federal agents, President Donald Trump called in the California National Guard and then the U.S. Marines over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.</p><p data-block-key=\"9rro3\">Nigro told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker he was filing photos for the agency Sipa USA when documenting the June 9 protests, which centered around the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown LA’s Little Tokyo neighborhood.</p><p data-block-key=\"657gc\">He said he was standing alone photographing from a pedestrian walkway near the Los Angeles Mall when he was suddenly shot at by law enforcement.</p><p data-block-key=\"af5mf\">“I was just taking a wide-angle shot and there were already flash bangs going off, and all of a sudden, by my head, three hits happened and I fled that scene,” Nigro said. “But I’m just thinking, ‘Wow, somebody’s either a really bad shot or a very good shot,’ because it was so close. I just felt, ‘Man, they’re targeting journalists.’”</p><p data-block-key=\"7tsa3\">Approximately 1 ½ hours later, after the demonstration had been pushed down South Alameda Street and deeper into Little Tokyo, Nigro said he was photographing the line of Los Angeles Police Department officers advancing on the crowd when he felt something strike his helmet.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-aligned_image\"><figure class=\"inline-media right\">\n \n\n\n<img src=\"https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Nigro_CA_assault_69.width-828.jpg\" width=\"828\" height=\"1240\" alt=\"COURTESY JOHN RUDOFF\">\n\n \n <figcaption class=\"inline-media__caption\">\n\t\t\t<p data-block-key=\"b4rd6\">Freelance photojournalist Michael Nigro was photographed moments after he was shot with a crowd-control munition, which left a visible mark on his helmet, while covering anti-deportation protests in Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025.</p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<span\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"media-attribution\"\n\t\t\t\t> — COURTESY JOHN RUDOFF\n\t\t\t\t</span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t</figcaption>\n \n</figure>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"scdgz\">“I don’t know which officer it was, but it just hit me in the head and I just turned away and kind of moved out of the scrum,” Nigro said, noting that he wasn’t sure what kind of crowd-control munition had struck him. “After that, I went to my one colleague and I said, ‘I just got stung.’ And he just said, ‘Oh yeah, you did. There’s the mark.’ So we took a photo of it right away.”</p><p data-block-key=\"9it2d\">Nigro told the Tracker that the helmet he was wearing — which had “PRESS” in all caps on both sides — “did its job” and the munition ricocheted without injuring him. He was also wearing a protective vest that was similarly marked.</p><p data-block-key=\"d2uut\">“These moments are when I feel that chilling effect that they want to put on journalists,” he added. “It felt intentional, simply because at that close range and with the sights that they have. One inch down and it would have gotten me right in the forehead.”</p><p data-block-key=\"6v0iu\">When reached for comment, the LAPD directed the Tracker to its social media accounts. But in a June 10 <a href=\"https://x.com/LAPDPIO/status/1932503206875312200\">news release</a> posted on social platform X about the previous evening’s protest response, the department did not address the use of munitions against identifiable press.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/AP25161437520538.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"ieekb\">Los Angeles Police Department officers push protesters towards Little Tokyo in downtown LA on June 9, 2025. Freelance photojournalist Michael Nigro was struck in the helmet with a crowd-control munition fired during the anti-deportation demonstrations.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
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"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
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"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": null,
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
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"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "yes",
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"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [],
"tags": [
"immigration",
"protest",
"shot / shot at"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Michael Nigro (Freelance)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
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},
{
"title": "British television reporter shot with crowd-control munition at LA protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/british-television-reporter-shot-with-crowd-control-munition-at-la-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-08-28T14:41:52.367348Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-09-02T20:56:35.261970Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-09-02T20:56:35.170796Z",
"date": "2025-06-09",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"1e55a\">Noel Phillips, a North America correspondent for British broadcaster ITV, was shot with a crowd-control munition live on air, while covering an immigration protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"d7et2\">The protests <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">began</a> June 6 in response to federal raids in and around LA of workplaces and areas where immigrant day laborers gathered, amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. After demonstrators clashed with local law enforcement officers and federal agents, President Donald Trump called in the California National Guard and then the U.S. Marines over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.</p><p data-block-key=\"4u5i\">Phillips told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he arrived on the ground with a crew member at around 9 p.m., getting a feel for what was happening before his first live report about an hour later. He said that shortly before going on air, Los Angeles Police Department officers began firing crowd-control munitions.</p><p data-block-key=\"37h9f\">“We just remember there being rubber bullets flying everywhere and, at that point, we then took cover behind a car, a vehicle that was parked on the side of the street,” Phillips said.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-video\">\n\n<figure class=\"inline-media right\">\n <div style=\"padding-bottom: 176.99115044247787%;\" class=\"responsive-object\">\n <iframe width=\"113\" height=\"200\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZnlGbvniRMM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen title=\"Our Correspondent Noel Phillips Was Hit by a Rubber Bullet Whilst Reporting on the LA Riots\"></iframe>\n</div>\n\n \n</figure>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"1e55a\">In a report for Good Morning Britain the morning after, Phillips <a href=\"https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/tv/gmb-reporter-la-riots-injury-31822673\">said</a> that lying on the ground was the safest option, “given the fact that the situation around us was so volatile.”</p><p data-block-key=\"943ae\">“As I was laying on the floor, I felt as though an enormous ton of bricks had fallen on my arm,” Phillips <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZnlGbvniRMM?feature=share\">said</a>. “I realized, I think, within 20 to 30 seconds that a rubber bullet had grazed the top layer of my skin and had caused a bit of injury.</p><p data-block-key=\"ac4k9\">“It gives you a sense of just how unpredictable things are here. There has been a constant flow of fireworks and rubber bullets."</p><p data-block-key=\"3hr2l\">The Los Angeles Police Department <a href=\"https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-MIGRATION/PROTEST-LOSANGELES-WEAPONS/zdpxalxkyvx/\">has said</a> that it no longer uses rubber bullets, instead relying on other forms of “less-lethal” munitions, including foam rounds.</p><p data-block-key=\"1hvtp\">In <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DKtrtWLO0gz/?hl=en\">footage posted to Instagram</a>, Phillips can be heard shouting in pain seconds after he was struck by a crowd-control munition, and a semicircular abrasion is later seen on his forearm.</p><p data-block-key=\"o04v\">“We quickly got up from the ground and then ran into the street with our hands in the air, shouting, ‘Press! Press! Press!’ Obviously, I was injured at the time, and they allowed us to cross the street,” Phillips told the Tracker. “We continued our reporting on the ground despite being injured, but it was very hostile and it was very unprovoked.</p><p data-block-key=\"3gt67\">“It didn’t make any sense at all why they would target us. I mean, I had my press credentials and protective clothing on, which clearly — unless their vision was impaired — they could see that we were reporting.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5uj8s\">Phillips added that he and the photographer with him were wearing press credentials, protective vests and helmets marked with “Press,” and had a large camera with lights on it.</p><p data-block-key=\"2qo1k\">In his interview with ITV, Phillips said he sought medical attention and determined that his arm, while swollen, had not been broken. He told the Tracker that he is planning to file a civil lawsuit against the LAPD.</p><p data-block-key=\"7uk5m\">“It’s looking back and thinking about what happened to me and not forgetting the thought of that bullet, perhaps, hitting me in my neck or in my eye and causing significant, life-changing injuries,” he said. “I should not have been struck by rubber bullets, because we were not a risk to the police or to anybody that night. It was completely and totally unjustified, and I expect appropriate acknowledgment and accountability for what happened.”</p><p data-block-key=\"e9nqo\">When reached for comment, the LAPD directed the Tracker to its social media accounts. But in a June 10 <a href=\"https://x.com/LAPDPIO/status/1932503206875312200\">news release</a> posted on social platform X about the previous evening’s protest response, the department did not address the use of munitions against identifiable press.</p><p data-block-key=\"fmp33\">Phillips told the Tracker that being targeted in the course of their journalistic work felt like an “attack on us trying to do our job.”</p><p data-block-key=\"alure\">“Press freedom, as we know, is the cornerstone of democracy,” he added. “Without the ability to question, investigate and report freely without fear or favor, truth is silenced and power goes unchecked.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7mk5g\"><i>Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include additional comments and details from Noel Phillips.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Phillips_CA_assault.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"hyljc\">Noel Phillips, a reporter for British broadcast channel ITV, was shot with a crowd-control munition while covering anti-deportation protests in Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
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"links": [],
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"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
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"tags": [
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"protest",
"shot / shot at"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
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],
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{
"title": "Independent journalist detained in LA police kettle amid protests",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/independent-journalist-detained-in-la-police-kettle-amid-protests/",
"first_published_at": "2025-06-17T15:18:23.442515Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-06-17T15:18:23.442515Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-06-17T15:15:23.585726Z",
"date": "2025-06-09",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"55zym\">Independent journalist Anthony Cabassa was detained in a kettle by police while covering an anti-deportation protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"dr45m\">The protests <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">began</a> June 6 in response to federal raids in and around LA of workplaces and areas where immigrant day laborers gathered, amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. After demonstrators clashed with local law enforcement officers and federal agents, President Donald Trump called in the California National Guard and then the U.S. Marines over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.</p><p data-block-key=\"ok5a\">Cabassa <a href=\"https://x.com/AnthonyCabassa_/status/1932279080763990235\">first posted</a> his coverage of the June 9 protests, centered around the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown LA’s Little Tokyo neighborhood, on the social platform X starting at around 5 p.m.</p><p data-block-key=\"fn071\">After the Los Angeles Police Department declared the protests an unlawful assembly, officers began herding the crowd and by approximately 8:30 p.m. had surrounded them using a technique called kettling.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">UPDATE 🚨 - The police have just notified us that we are all under arrest, including members of the media. <br><br>We have been kettled in by LAPD. <a href=\"https://t.co/ZuFGOu7Bk9\">pic.twitter.com/ZuFGOu7Bk9</a></p>— Anthony (@AnthonyCabassa_) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/AnthonyCabassa_/status/1932281014820413876?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 10, 2025</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"55zym\"><a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2025-06-09&date_upper=2025-06-09&city=Los+Angeles&tags=kettle&categories=Arrest%2FCriminal+Charge\">Multiple journalists</a> caught in the kettle told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that police were removing journalists and demonstrators one by one, and did not make it clear whether members of the press were under arrest.</p><p data-block-key=\"4vu7e\">When each of the journalists was removed from the kettle, officers directed them to place their hands behind their back and then held their arms in place while walking them out of the area. Once members of the press provided their names and basic information, officers allowed them to leave with a warning that, if they returned, they would be subject to arrest.</p><p data-block-key=\"8li4q\">Cabassa posted that police detained and handcuffed him, but released him after verifying his media credentials. He did not respond to a request for comment.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I was detained and handcuffed by LAPD but cleared after showing my media credentials. Thanks to all my local journalist friends and others who reached out to make sure I was okay. <br><br>The show goes on, heading home for the night, will continue coverage tomorrow 👍🏼 <a href=\"https://t.co/F5ezwFy5ws\">pic.twitter.com/F5ezwFy5ws</a></p>— Anthony (@AnthonyCabassa_) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/AnthonyCabassa_/status/1932303103849861279?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 10, 2025</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"55zym\">When reached for comment, the LAPD directed the Tracker to the department’s social media accounts. But in a June 10 <a href=\"https://x.com/LAPDPIO/status/1932503206875312200\">news release</a> posted on social platform X about the previous evening’s arrests, the LAPD did not address the detainments and removal of journalists caught in the kettle.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/AP25161440508646.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"c38iy\">Los Angeles Police Department officers clear protesters from the street outside the Federal Building in Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025. Police ultimately detained multiple journalists, including independent reporter Anthony Cabassa, in a kettle.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Los Angeles Police Department",
"arrest_status": "detained and released without being processed",
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": "2025-06-09",
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
"actor": null,
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"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
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"tags": [
"immigration",
"kettle",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Anthony Cabassa (Independent)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Student journalist detained, shot at with pepper balls at Bay Area protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/student-journalist-detained-shot-at-with-pepper-balls-at-bay-area-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-08-12T20:25:00.375067Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-08-12T20:25:00.375067Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-08-12T19:43:11.482004Z",
"date": "2025-06-09",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "San Francisco",
"longitude": -122.41942,
"latitude": 37.77493,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"1w8ey\">Student reporter Aarya Mukherjee was detained in a police kettle and shot at with pepper balls while reporting on anti-deportation protests in San Francisco, California, on June 9, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"5tng9\">The protests were in solidarity with those that <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">began</a> in Los Angeles on June 6, following Trump administration immigration raids and the administration’s deployment of the California National Guard over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.</p><p data-block-key=\"fs0hq\">On June 9, protesters gathered and marched through San Francisco’s Mission District, Mukherjee told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. He was on assignment for The Daily Californian — the student-run newspaper of the University of California, Berkeley — alongside fellow student journalist <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/student-journalist-detained-shoved-by-police-amid-bay-area-protest\">Sam Grotenstein</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"176eh\">“I guess a smaller splinter group of that protest decided that they wanted to take some more action and started marching toward downtown. Eventually, the police announced that it was an unlawful assembly and they created two lines and kettled us,” Mukherjee said, referring to the tactic of encircling a crowd before making arrests.</p><p data-block-key=\"ef02m\">He said that he and Grotenstein were on the opposite side of the street from the protesters, alongside other press and onlookers, but were themselves detained.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Police in full battle fatigues have surrounded us. We have repeatedly identified ourselves as journalists and are not allowed to leave. From outside the police line chants of “Let them Go” continue. <a href=\"https://t.co/VpV10TylR0\">pic.twitter.com/VpV10TylR0</a></p>— Aarya Mukherjee (@Aarya_Muk) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Aarya_Muk/status/1932308501143179630?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 10, 2025</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"1w8ey\">“They announced that we were all under arrest and they kept us there for like 45 minutes,” Mukherjee said. “The whole time, we kept saying to every officer on the line, ‘We are press. We are press.’ We were actually being kind of annoying about it, because we weren’t able to see what was going on on the other side and we wanted to report.”</p><p data-block-key=\"ae38r\">Both journalists were also wearing hard hats with “Press” written across them.</p><p data-block-key=\"ciiqb\">When they were <a href=\"https://x.com/Aarya_Muk/status/1932313589161021818\">eventually released</a>, the student journalists moved to the other side of the street to document the arrests of the demonstrators, who had formed what Grotenstein described as a “human shield.”</p><p data-block-key=\"ctass\">Mukherjee said that after a demonstrator attempted to escape the kettle, “Everything descended into madness, where police were hitting people on the ground.</p><p data-block-key=\"5os54\">“That’s what we were obviously trying to record and watch and report on,” he told the Tracker. “And in that moment, I guess the police decided that the press were too close. They decided to push the whole protest line back.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1vab1\">During that advance, an officer pushed Grotenstein over a curb, sending him to the ground. Seconds later, officers shot pepper ball munitions at the journalists, and Mukherjee told the Tracker he immediately began coughing from exposure to the chemical irritant powder.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BREAKING: SFPD has just deployed tear gas on onlookers and journalists. The scene is currently tense but stable <a href=\"https://t.co/RgoUush29L\">pic.twitter.com/RgoUush29L</a></p>— Aarya Mukherjee (@Aarya_Muk) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Aarya_Muk/status/1932316487064383723?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 10, 2025</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"1w8ey\">The officers made their intentions clear, Mukherjee said: “They just kept saying, ‘We’ll use physical force against you, we don’t care if you’re press.’”</p><p data-block-key=\"9lu48\">The San Francisco Police Department did not respond to a request for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"7vun4\">Both <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/student-reporter-thrown-and-later-detained-at-bay-area-immigration-protest\">Mukherjee</a> and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/student-journalist-detained-amid-san-francisco-immigration-protest\">Grotenstein</a> were similarly detained while covering anti-deportation protests the previous night.</p><p data-block-key=\"75rrg\">The Daily Californian’s top editors <a href=\"https://www.dailycal.org/opinion/editor-s-note-condemning-sfpd-s-detention-of-daily-cal-staffers-and-suppression-of-student/article_3a306ca7-0a14-428a-8eb6-c3b01b9ffea7.html\">condemned</a> the detention and assaults of its journalists, writing in an editor’s note, “While our staffers were released after about an hour, their detainment prevented them from reporting on the events of the night and, most importantly, actively threatened their safety.</p><p data-block-key=\"39jl\">“The duty and purpose of our newsroom is to cover important and relevant issues within our community, and we have the right to do it in a safe way without fearing the kind of assault or retaliation that took place over the last two nights.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"xk7ny\">Protesters rally against recent federal immigration raids in San Francisco’s Mission District on June 9, 2025. Student journalist Aarya Mukherjee was shot at with crowd-control munitions and detained by police while covering the demonstration that night.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "San Francisco Police Department",
"arrest_status": "detained and released without being processed",
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": "2025-06-09",
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"tags": [
"chemical irritant",
"immigration",
"kettle",
"protest",
"shot / shot at",
"student journalism"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge",
"Assault"
],
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"Aarya Mukherjee (The [UC Berkeley] Daily Californian)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Photographer shot in forehead with rubber bullet while covering LA protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-shot-in-forehead-with-rubber-bullet-while-covering-la-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-06-13T21:13:21.710350Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-06-13T21:13:21.710350Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-06-13T21:13:21.623600Z",
"date": "2025-06-09",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"pvod2\">Toby Canham, a photographer for the New York Post, was shot in the forehead with a rubber bullet while covering an immigration enforcement protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025, <a href=\"https://nypost.com/2025/06/09/us-news/post-photographer-shot-with-rubber-bullet-in-la-riots/\">the outlet reported.</a></p><p data-block-key=\"2mjr9\">The protests began June 6 in response to federal raids in and around LA of workplaces and areas where immigrant day laborers gathered, amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. After demonstrators clashed with local law enforcement officers and federal agents, President Donald Trump called in the California National Guard and then the U.S. Marines over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.</p><p data-block-key=\"boh3b\">Canham was standing just off and above the U.S. 101 freeway, filming the chaos between police officers and protesters, according to the Post, when a California Highway Patrol officer about 100 yards away suddenly turned his weapon toward him and fired.</p><p data-block-key=\"3mvq5\">Canham, who was wearing his press pass, was struck in the head and fell to the ground, according to footage he captured of the moment. He spent the next day in the hospital for whiplash and neck pain, and left with a bruise on his forehead, the Post reported.</p><p data-block-key=\"41aog\">“When I got whacked, to my best recollection it was just me filming with my cameras on and then I got shot,” Canham told the newspaper. “Where I was hit, I was the only person overlooking the freeway. I wasn’t surrounded so I was an easy target.”</p><p data-block-key=\"b4o3m\">Before Canham was hit, a flash bang had exploded a few feet from him, causing shrapnel to kick up and leave two holes in his pants, according to the article. Then, he saw someone throw a water bottle at authorities and flee, so he started recording video 20 seconds before he was struck.</p><p data-block-key=\"asaop\">“It’s a real shame. I completely understand being in the position where you could get injured, but at the same time, there was no justification for even aiming the rifle at me and pulling the trigger,” Canham told the Post.</p><p data-block-key=\"4b2vo\">The California Highway Patrol did not respond to a U.S. Press Freedom Tracker request for comment, and Canham could not immediately be reached.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"y5uob\">New York Post photographer Toby Canham was shot in the head with a rubber bullet while covering an immigration enforcement protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"immigration",
"protest",
"shot / shot at"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
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],
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},
{
"title": "Police push correspondent on live TV during immigration protest in downtown LA",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/police-push-correspondent-on-live-tv-during-immigration-protest-in-downtown-la/",
"first_published_at": "2025-06-16T17:26:30.503428Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-06-16T17:26:30.503428Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-06-16T17:26:30.406217Z",
"date": "2025-06-09",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"e76z7\">CNN anchor Erin Burnett was pushed on live TV by an officer while covering an immigration enforcement protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025, <a href=\"https://x.com/OutFrontCNN/status/1932277470075486409\">the outlet reported</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"cbfss\">The protests began June 6 in response to federal raids in and around LA of workplaces and areas where immigrant day laborers gathered, amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. After demonstrators clashed with local law enforcement officers and federal agents, President Donald Trump called in the California National Guard and then the U.S. Marines over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.</p><p data-block-key=\"cr9as\">During the live shot, Burnett is holding a microphone and speaking to the camera as police order protesters to leave the area behind her.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https://twitter.com/ErinBurnett?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ErinBurnett</a> experiences firsthand the tension between police and protesters.<a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/LAProtests?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#LAProtests</a> <a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/CNN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#CNN</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/kBT5FA5LbK\">pic.twitter.com/kBT5FA5LbK</a></p>— Erin Burnett OutFront (@OutFrontCNN) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/OutFrontCNN/status/1932277470075486409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 10, 2025</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"e76z7\">“They’re just saying move the area,” she said, as an armed officer wearing a helmet pushes her forward by the arm.</p><p data-block-key=\"8ca9q\">“You can just see the tension there,” she said. “They knew we’re media. They were just as happy to push me as to push anybody else.”</p><p data-block-key=\"2bafc\">Burnett and CNN did not immediately respond to requests for comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"0j0ls\">CNN anchor Erin Burnett, at left, was pushed by a police officer during a live TV shot while covering an immigration enforcement protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"name": "California",
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"protest"
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
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"targeted_journalists": [
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{
"title": "Student journalist detained, hit by crowd-control rounds at LA protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/student-journalist-detained-hit-by-crowd-control-rounds-at-la-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-08-05T20:42:00.154462Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-08-05T21:57:15.125027Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-08-05T21:57:15.027041Z",
"date": "2025-06-09",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"kfh3k\">Jake Crandall, a student photojournalist for Santa Monica College’s The Corsair, was detained by police while documenting an anti-deportation protest in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"c3v23\">Crandall was at one of a series of protests that <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">began</a> June 6 in response to federal raids of workplaces and areas where immigrant day laborers gathered in and around LA, amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. After demonstrators clashed with local law enforcement officers and federal agents, President Donald Trump called in the California National Guard and then the U.S. Marines, despite objections from California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.</p><p data-block-key=\"abf39\">Crandall was on assignment for The Corsair, Santa Monica College’s student newspaper, and also working as a freelance stringer for Dori Media, an international production and distribution company, when thousands of protesters gathered near the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles.</p><p data-block-key=\"3q33a\">As the Los Angeles Police Department moved to disperse the crowd, officers pushed demonstrators through the surrounding downtown area while firing crowd-control munitions. During the second round of fire, Crandall was struck in the lower torso by a foam-tipped projectile. He captured the impact on video, which shows the officer looking directly at him before firing.</p><p data-block-key=\"86gs6\">At the time, Crandall was clearly identified as a member of the press, wearing a hat and displaying a badge and patch on his backpack. The blow, which he said felt like being hit with a paintball to the stomach, forced him to briefly stop recording.</p><p data-block-key=\"e1sim\">“It knocked the wind out of me,” Crandall said. “But I was able to still continue on and finish the assignment.”</p><p data-block-key=\"64ufg\">Minutes later, he was hit in the leg twice more in quick succession by similar projectiles. All three strikes left bruises.</p><p data-block-key=\"erleg\">Crandall told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that law enforcement continued pushing and containing the crowd for several blocks, eventually trapping a large group in a police kettle — a tactic used to surround and control protesters.</p><p data-block-key=\"416fn\">Crandall was inside the kettle, photographing fellow students being detained, when an officer pointed at him and said, “You’re next.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1j30l\">Officers placed him in zip-tie restraints, searched his pockets and backpack, and positioned him against a wall. Although they didn’t go through his camera, the tone quickly shifted.</p><p data-block-key=\"4ep36\">“They said, ‘We’re putting him in the paddy wagon,’” Crandall told the Tracker. “That’s when I realized I might not be getting out of there.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5n7eg\">After repeatedly identifying himself as a journalist, Crandall was held for about 15 minutes before a supervisor arrived, ordered his release and told him to leave the area.</p><p data-block-key=\"8llbh\">“They could have grabbed anyone else,” he said. “But they chose to get me next. It was a little devious.”</p><p data-block-key=\"bllka\">In the days following his encounter with police, Crandall said he saw fellow journalists arrested, struck by crowd-control munitions and taken to the hospital. During a protest on June 6, he was <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/student-journalist-pepper-sprayed-at-la-immigration-protest/\">pepper-sprayed</a> and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/student-journalist-hit-by-pepper-ball-at-la-immigration-protest/\">shot with a pepper ball</a>. On <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/student-journalist-struck-by-crowd-control-munitions-amid-compton-protest/\">June 7</a>, he was struck by a stinger grenade, a device that releases rubber pellets and chemical irritants.</p><p data-block-key=\"f1kcd\">The experience has changed how Crandall works. He purchased a bullet-proof vest for assignments and keeps a legal contact on hand in case of emergencies.</p><p data-block-key=\"10jr4\">“I now understand in situations like this, it’s really up to yourself to stay safe, and that it’s up to other journalists to look out for each other,” he said.</p><p data-block-key=\"9r462\">When reached for comment, the LAPD directed the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker to its social media accounts. In a June 10 <a href=\"https://x.com/LAPDPIO/status/1934663901607809139\">statement posted to the social platform X,</a> the department acknowledged that LAPD officers used numerous “less-lethal rounds” in response to the protests but did not address the detention of journalists or the use of munitions against identifiable press.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"gj8tj\">Officers line up to form a kettle during an anti-deportation protest in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025. Student photojournalist Jake Crandall was detained while photographing inside the kettle.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Los Angeles Police Department",
"arrest_status": "detained and released without being processed",
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"detention_date": "2025-06-09",
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"tags": [
"immigration",
"kettle",
"protest",
"student journalism"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
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"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge",
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],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Jake Crandall (The [Santa Monica College] Corsair)"
],
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},
{
"title": "LA Times reporter detained in kettle at anti-deportation protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/la-times-reporter-detained-in-kettle-at-anti-deportation-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-06-13T16:54:37.568094Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-06-18T18:16:52.922742Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-06-18T18:16:52.782801Z",
"date": "2025-06-09",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"15tb2\">Rebecca Ellis, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, was detained in a kettle by police while documenting an anti-deportation protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"ih59\">The protests <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">began</a> June 6 in response to federal raids in and around LA of workplaces and areas where immigrant day laborers gathered, amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. After demonstrators clashed with local law enforcement officers and federal agents, President Donald Trump called in the California National Guard and then the U.S. Marines over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.</p><p data-block-key=\"gut\">Ellis told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that she and her colleague, photojournalist <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/la-times-photojournalist-detained-in-police-kettle-released-without-charges\">Jason Armond</a>, had been documenting protests throughout the night of June 9. The protests were centered around the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown LA’s Little Tokyo neighborhood.</p><p data-block-key=\"44kfa\">After the Los Angeles Police Department declared the protests an unlawful assembly, Ellis said she and Armond were following the remaining demonstrators when officers began herding the crowd.</p><p data-block-key=\"2vv0d\">“They’d been pushing protesters from downtown into Little Tokyo and then through the streets,” Ellis said. “Then at one point, we saw that they were also coming from behind and we were in a kettle.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4oaie\">Ellis told the Tracker that many journalists were caught in the kettle alongside a few dozen protesters. She was one of the first journalists escorted out, but noted that it wasn’t clear what was happening to them.</p><p data-block-key=\"aorba\">“I was confused, and Jason, who was there and was my photographer, was confused,” Ellis said. “I would say there was one minute of concern and fear, but then it was pretty clear that we were going to be let out.</p><p data-block-key=\"bnbnh\">“They were having everyone come one by one to detain them and cite them for failure to disperse. They would include press and would have you put your hands behind your back. They’d hold your hands back, walk you over to a different location and then get your name and walk you away from the kettle, about a block down, and then just had us leave.”</p><p data-block-key=\"elvbs\">She estimated that she was held in the kettle for 20 to 25 minutes before she was escorted out. Armond was also released without charges.</p><p data-block-key=\"a2iok\">When reached for comment, the LAPD directed the Tracker to the department’s social media accounts. But in a June 10 <a href=\"https://x.com/LAPDPIO/status/1932503206875312200\">news release</a> posted on social platform X about the previous evening’s arrests, the LAPD did not address the detainments and removal of journalists caught in the kettle.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/DSC01739.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"rwvnf\">Los Angeles Times reporter Rebecca Ellis, center right, was among the journalists detained in a police kettle while documenting anti-deportation protests in Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025. She was released without charges.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Los Angeles Police Department",
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"Arrest/Criminal Charge"
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"Rebecca Ellis (Los Angeles Times)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Photojournalist shot with rubber bullets by federal officers at LA protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-shot-with-rubber-bullets-by-federal-officers-at-la-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-07-02T14:02:55.549286Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-07-02T14:02:55.549286Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-07-02T13:59:18.233992Z",
"date": "2025-06-09",
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"longitude": -118.24368,
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"35sug\">Freelance photojournalist Ted Soqui was shot in the back with crowd-control munitions by federal officers while covering anti-deportation protests in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"e3o8i\">The protests <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">began</a> June 6 in response to federal raids in and around LA of workplaces and areas where immigrant day laborers gathered, amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. After demonstrators clashed with local law enforcement officers and federal agents, President Donald Trump called in the California National Guard and then the U.S. Marines over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.</p><p data-block-key=\"co4a6\">On June 9, Soqui, who has covered protests throughout his decades-long career, was covering demonstrations at LA’s Federal Building, according to a June 18 <a href=\"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70581520/1/los-angeles-press-club-v-kristi-noem/\">lawsuit</a> filed by the Los Angeles Press Club against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.</p><p data-block-key=\"5lg53\">The photojournalist had been <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-struck-in-head-leg-with-crowd-control-munitions-amid-la-protest\">struck with crowd-control munitions</a> the previous day while covering the protests, so he wore personal protective equipment, positioned himself 50 to 100 feet from the officers and protesters, and only used his long lens to take photos from afar.</p><p data-block-key=\"hld4\">When Soqui prepared to leave for the day, federal officers shot him in the back with three rubber bullets in rapid succession, according to the lawsuit.</p><p data-block-key=\"batcl\">“Mr. Soqui is certain that the officers who shot him were either ICE or DHS because he saw department patches identifying their departments on their arms, chests, and backs,” the suit said, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security.</p><p data-block-key=\"8a53\">The shooting of Soqui was a “misuse of militarized weapons,” it continued. “The way federal agents used rubber bullets here can cause significant and serious harm.”</p><p data-block-key=\"77fel\">Soqui did not respond to multiple requests for comment from the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. While his experiences were detailed in the LA Press Club’s lawsuit, he is not listed as a plaintiff.</p><p data-block-key=\"b4742\">In a statement emailed to the Tracker, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin urged journalists to be cautious while covering what she characterized as “violent riots,” and added, “President Trump and Secretary Noem are committed to restoring law and order in Los Angeles.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"82axw\">Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers guard the Los Angeles Federal building during a protest against immigration enforcement raids on June 9, 2025. Photojournalist Ted Soqui was shot with rubber bullets that day while documenting the protest.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
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"assailant": "law enforcement",
"was_journalist_targeted": "unknown",
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"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
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"tags": [
"immigration",
"protest",
"shot / shot at"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Ted Soqui (Freelance)"
],
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},
{
"title": "Freelance photojournalist detained in police kettle amid LA protests",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/freelance-photojournalist-detained-in-police-kettle-amid-la-protests/",
"first_published_at": "2025-06-17T15:09:40.875359Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-06-17T15:09:40.875359Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-06-17T14:37:13.719998Z",
"date": "2025-06-09",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"y9ddm\">Freelance documentary photographer Philip Cheung was detained in a kettle by police while covering an anti-deportation protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"bv7jo\">The protests <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">began</a> June 6 in response to federal raids in and around LA of workplaces and areas where immigrant day laborers gathered, amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. After demonstrators clashed with local law enforcement officers and federal agents, President Donald Trump called in the California National Guard and then the U.S. Marines over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.</p><p data-block-key=\"cg96b\">Cheung was on assignment for The New York Times, documenting protests centered around the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown LA’s Little Tokyo neighborhood.</p><p data-block-key=\"1bb47\">After the Los Angeles Police Department declared the protests an unlawful assembly, officers began herding the crowd and ultimately surrounded them using a technique called kettling.</p><p data-block-key=\"7ot7\"><a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2025-06-09&date_upper=2025-06-09&city=Los+Angeles&tags=kettle&categories=Arrest%2FCriminal+Charge\">Multiple journalists</a> caught in the kettle told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that police were removing journalists and demonstrators one by one, and did not make it clear whether members of the press were under arrest.</p><p data-block-key=\"fsn6e\">When each of the journalists was removed from the kettle, officers directed them to place their hands behind their back and then held their arms in place while walking them out of the area. Once the members of the press provided their names and basic information, officers allowed them to leave with a warning that, if they returned, they would be subject to arrest.</p><p data-block-key=\"tsqb\">Cheung confirmed that he was among the media members kettled, detained and escorted out of the protest area, but declined to comment further.</p><p data-block-key=\"20se5\">When reached for comment, the LAPD directed the Tracker to the department’s social media accounts. But in a June 10 <a href=\"https://x.com/LAPDPIO/status/1932503206875312200\">news release</a> posted on social platform X about the previous evening’s arrests, the LAPD did not address the detainments and removal of journalists caught in the kettle.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/AP25161384654977.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"y8hbx\">Police stand guard during an anti-deportation protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025. Freelance photojournalist Philip Cheung was documenting the demonstrations for The New York Times that day when he was detained in a police kettle.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Los Angeles Police Department",
"arrest_status": "detained and released without being processed",
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": "2025-06-09",
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
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"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
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"tags": [
"immigration",
"kettle",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
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"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge"
],
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"Philip Cheung (The New York Times)"
],
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},
{
"title": "TV news van vandalized at LA immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/tv-news-van-vandalized-at-la-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-06-12T19:29:19.419707Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-06-12T19:29:19.419707Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-06-12T19:29:19.330594Z",
"date": "2025-06-09",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"x5u78\">A news van shared by KNBC and KVEA was defaced and vandalized during an immigration enforcement protest on June 9, 2025, in Los Angeles, California, according to videos posted on social media by multiple accounts.</p><p data-block-key=\"13t9h\">The protests <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">began</a> June 6 in response to federal raids in and around Los Angeles of workplaces and areas where immigrant day laborers gathered, amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. After demonstrators clashed with Los Angeles law enforcement officers and federal agents, President Donald Trump called in the California National Guard and later the U.S. Marines over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.</p><p data-block-key=\"9meeb\">In a video posted to <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKucXSPADj7/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D\">Instagram</a>, a person is seen attempting to smash the van’s passenger-side window with a skateboard as a car alarm beeps in the background. The van, covered in graffiti, has a shattered front windshield.</p><p data-block-key=\"74urf\">In a separate video <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWKKnIXVgIA\">posted to YouTube by FreedomNewsTV</a> on June 10, one of the defaced van’s tires is shown slashed, hissing loudly as it rapidly deflates.</p><p data-block-key=\"2vj2i\">KNBC and KVEA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/van.751f73ca.fill-1330x880.png",
"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"gljbm\">A news van shared by KNBC and KVEA was vandalized during an immigration enforcement protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025.</p>",
"arresting_authority": null,
"arrest_status": null,
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": null,
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
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"actor": "private individual",
"border_point": null,
"target_us_citizenship_status": null,
"denial_of_entry": false,
"stopped_previously": false,
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{
"quantity": 1,
"equipment": "vehicle"
}
],
"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
"updates": [],
"case_statuses": [],
"workers_whose_communications_were_obtained": [],
"target_nationality": [],
"targeted_institutions": [
"KNBC",
"KVEA"
],
"tags": [
"immigration",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Equipment Damage"
],
"targeted_journalists": [],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
},
{
"title": "Independent journalist detained in police kettle amid LA protests",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/independent-journalist-detained-in-police-kettle-amid-la-protests/",
"first_published_at": "2025-06-18T18:41:19.669648Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-06-18T18:41:19.669648Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-06-18T18:38:45.391816Z",
"date": "2025-06-09",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"sohyp\">Reporter Cam Higby was detained in a kettle by police while covering an anti-deportation protest in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"60i74\">The protests <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/la-protests-national-guard-trump.html\">began</a> June 6 in response to federal raids in and around LA of workplaces and areas where immigrant day laborers gathered, amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. After demonstrators clashed with local law enforcement officers and federal agents, President Donald Trump called in the California National Guard and then the U.S. Marines over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.</p><p data-block-key=\"779l6\">Higby told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that the Los Angeles Police Department declared the protests an unlawful assembly. They then began herding the crowd, pushing demonstrators down Alameda Street, a major thoroughfare.</p><p data-block-key=\"7hoe0\">He said officers ultimately surrounded them using a technique called kettling. Higby, who is a journalist and personality for digital news media and commentary site Today Is America, reported live from the kettle <a href=\"https://x.com/camhigby/status/1932543594742579704/photo/1\">on Fox News</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"dk1jv\">Officers gave them conflicting information, Higby said, adding that they said “somebody would be around to kind of collect media in a little while, but that person didn’t come.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4e5hc\">Higby and <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2025-06-09&date_upper=2025-06-09&city=Los+Angeles&tags=kettle&categories=Arrest%2FCriminal+Charge\">other journalists</a> caught in the kettle told the Tracker that police were removing journalists and demonstrators one by one, and did not make it clear whether members of the press were under arrest.</p><p data-block-key=\"132k2\">When each of the journalists was removed from the kettle, officers directed them to place their hands behind their back and then held their arms in place while walking them out of the area. Once members of the press provided their names and basic information, officers allowed them to leave with a warning that, if they returned, they would be subject to arrest.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">🚨🚨 Everyone in this circle of police is under arrest <br><br>Police will decide what media is legitimate and let those who are go <a href=\"https://t.co/YsLIz8yEgR\">pic.twitter.com/YsLIz8yEgR</a></p>— Cam Higby 🇺🇸 (@camhigby) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/camhigby/status/1932286431705358439?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 10, 2025</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"sohyp\">When reached for comment, the LAPD directed the Tracker to the department’s social media accounts. But in a June 10 <a href=\"https://x.com/LAPDPIO/status/1932503206875312200\">news release</a> posted on social platform X about the previous evening’s arrests, the LAPD did not address the detainments and removal of journalists caught in the kettle.</p><p data-block-key=\"71du0\">Higby told the Tracker he was also caught in a kettle while documenting protests the following night, but that he and members of the press were quickly directed to an officer who verified their press credentials and allowed them to leave without further incident.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/Higby_CA_arrest_69.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.png",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"f7112\">Reporter Cam Higby recorded and reported live from inside a police kettle after he was detained amid protests in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025. He and other members of the press were later released without charges.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Los Angeles Police Department",
"arrest_status": "detained and released without being processed",
"release_date": null,
"detention_date": "2025-06-09",
"unnecessary_use_of_force": false,
"case_number": null,
"case_type": null,
"status_of_seized_equipment": null,
"is_search_warrant_obtained": false,
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"links": [],
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"state": {
"name": "California",
"abbreviation": "CA"
},
"updates": [],
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"tags": [
"immigration",
"kettle",
"protest"
],
"politicians_or_public_figures_involved": [],
"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Arrest/Criminal Charge"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Cam Higby (Today Is America)"
],
"subpoena_statuses": null,
"type_of_denial": []
}
]
