Photojournalist shot with crowd-control munition at LA-area protest

Freelance photojournalist J.W. Hendricks was shot with a crowd-control munition while documenting anti-deportation protests in Compton, California, on June 7, 2025.

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.

Demonstrations the following day were centered around a Home Depot in Paramount, a predominantly Latino suburb of Los Angeles, after Border Patrol agents were spotted nearby, the Los Angeles Times reported. Deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department arrived to aid in the protest response.

Hendricks told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he arrived at approximately 6:30 p.m., and noted that the protests that night unfolded along a single block in Compton.

“On the east intersection was the sheriff’s skirmish line with the military-looking vehicles and the rapid deployment barrier, which we all just called ‘The Slinky,’” Hendricks said. “And on the opposing intersection, where the doughnut shop is, that’s where most people were hanging out, kind of watching from afar, and the closer you got to the sheriff’s intersection, the protesters were more and more spread out.”

As night began to fall, Hendricks said he was approximately 100 feet from the skirmish line when shot in the leg with an unidentified crowd-control munition.

He told Adam Rose, press rights chair of the LA Press Club, that there had been a lull in officers firing. “Then it felt like a high-speed rock hit my leg. I was wearing a vest that said in gigantic letters, ‘PRESS.’ Not sure what they used.”

Hendricks added that he was also affected by a chemical irritant that night.

“I have learned that if the Feds throw a canister into a group of people that you are in, don’t look down,” he told the Tracker. “I looked down and it sprayed directly into my eyes. But compared to what everyone else has been through, mine seems super mild.”

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.”

The Sheriff’s Department told the Tracker via email on June 10 that it prioritizes maintaining access for credentialed media, “especially during emergencies and critical incidents.”

“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.”