Incident details
- Date of incident
- June 8, 2025
- Location
- Los Angeles, California
- Targets
- Unidentified photojournalist 39
- Assailant
- Law enforcement
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Yes
Assault
A police horse shoves an unidentified photojournalist covering a protest in downtown Los Angeles on June 8, 2025.
An unidentified photojournalist was shoved by multiple officers — one on horseback — while documenting an anti-deportation protest in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 8, 2025.
The demonstration was part of a series of protests that 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 protesters 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.
Video footage captured by freelance journalist Sean Beckner-Carmitchel and provided to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker shows the incident.
At roughly 47 seconds in, an individual carrying two professional cameras and wearing what appears to be a press ID is seen being pushed by two officers in riot gear. Moments later, a mounted officer rides directly into the journalist’s backpack with his horse, forcing the photographer to stumble forward.
The clip also captures the chaos as sirens blare and officers use aggressive tactics to disperse the crowd. In response to a request for comment, the Los Angeles Police Department directed the Tracker to its social media accounts.
In a June 9 news release posted to the social platform X, the department stated that it worked with multiple agencies to “restore public safety and respond to criminal activity” during the protest. The statement did not address the use of force against members of the press.
As of press time, the photojournalist in the video has not been identified.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogues press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
