Photojournalist struck by projectiles, breaking his lens, at LA protest

Henry Cherry, an independent photojournalist, was pelted with crowd-control munitions while documenting a protest against immigration raids in Los Angeles, California, on Jan. 30, 2026.

The demonstration was part of nationwide protests that began that day and also followed similar protests in Minnesota, where federal officers had shot and killed two U.S. citizens. In LA, sweeping immigration enforcement has continued since June.

Cherry told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was clearly marked as press when he began reporting near the Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrants were being held. Federal officers deployed tear gas, leaving him temporarily blinded and struggling to breathe.

After people at the protest threw garbage at Department of Homeland Security officers, the federal agents responded by throwing tear gas canisters, and firing pepper spray and pepper balls at the crowd. An officer positioned on a rooftop also launched crowd-control munitions.

In Cherry’s first 10 minutes at the scene, he was struck by dozens of crowd-control munitions, with impacts to his helmet, neck, camera, arms, hands, legs, chest, ribs, hips, thighs, knees, calves and shoes.

“I have a helmet that says ‘press’ in big white letters on it, and a vest,” he told the Tracker, noting that they were shooting from a range of less than 10 yards. “That didn’t stop them. It actually seemed to encourage them.”

One projectile left a dark bruise on his side, while another injured his toenail, which he said fell off about a month later. Others struck his camera equipment, including a lens valued at more than $1,000, cracking it and breaking the lens hood. His equipment bag was also hit, cutting the interior, and the eyepieces were missing from two of his cameras.

“The obstruction of it felt intentional,” said Cherry, adding that he believes the attacks were targeted. “I’d photograph someone with a projectile gun, and then they’d raise it and shoot me.”

Cherry said his shirt was ripped and that he returned home covered in a chemical irritant, which affected his voice for days and even caused his dog to sneeze.

DHS did not respond to a request for comment about their actions at the protest, which appear to violate a California law that prohibits law enforcement from using violent protest policing tactics with members of the press. A federal judge reinforced this with a preliminary injunction last year.

In a Jan. 31 post on his social media platform, President Donald Trump said he instructed Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol “to be very forceful in this protection of Federal Government Property.”