Flash bang strikes TV crew at LA immigration protest

KTLA photographer Ken Koller was struck with a flash-bang grenade while covering an immigration enforcement protest in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 6, 2025.

It was the start of numerous protests 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.

Koller told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was documenting a protest that followed a federal raid on a downtown garment factory. Chaos ensued when demonstrators surrounded a convoy of federal officers leaving the area.

The officers “just started throwing flash bangs out windows, and everybody went scattering,” he said.

Wearing his press badge, Koller stood in the crowd, capturing the scene with his cellphone instead of a traditional broadcast camera, a choice he said gives him more situational awareness during intense encounters.

Amid the commotion, Koller noticed a flash-bang grenade being tossed from a federal vehicle and rolling toward him and a bystander. He instinctively threw himself over the woman to shield her from the blast, Koller said.

“The shock wave from the explosion basically hit me like a punch,” he later wrote on Facebook. Koller told the Tracker that he instantly felt pain in his ear, which developed swelling but suffered no permanent damage.

He said he used to believe that law enforcement would avoid targeting members of the press, but he no longer feels confident that officers will distinguish between journalists and protesters.

Still, he says it’s a risk he’s willing to take, not just for the public but to ensure accountability on all sides.

“If there’s nobody there to document it, nobody knows what really happened,” he said.

Editor’s Note: This report has been updated to include comments from Ken Koller.