Incident details
- Date of incident
- March 28, 2026
- Location
- Los Angeles, California
- Targets
- Blake Fagan (Independent)
- Assailant
- Law enforcement
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Unknown
Assault
Federal officers amid tear gas at an immigration protest in Los Angeles, California, on March 28, 2026. Photojournalist Blake Fagan was hit with projectiles while covering the demonstration.
Photojournalist Blake Fagan was hit with projectiles while documenting an immigration protest in downtown Los Angeles, California, on March 28, 2026.
The demonstration followed a “No Kings” protest held earlier in the day in LA, one of thousands across the U.S. that organizers said drew more than 8 million people against Trump administration policies.
After the main march, people gathered outside downtown LA’s Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrants are held, and the Roybal Federal Building, locations where many demonstrations have centered since sweeping immigration enforcement began in the city in June 2025.
Fagan told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that his helmet, which marked him as press, was struck with multiple pepper balls fired by Department of Homeland Security agents.
“I was just kind of in the line of fire and got hit,” he said, adding that he heard the impact. “I didn’t feel it, but the dust got all over my skin and hair.”
DHS did not respond to a request for comment. On the night of the protest, the agency wrote on the social platform X that people at the protest were throwing things at officers, two of whom were receiving medical care after being hit. It did not address the use of munitions against members of the press.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogs press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
