00:00In Los Angeles, this past weekend, the streets erupted in protests.
00:25Immigration rates took to the streets.
00:35Amid the chaos, Nine Network correspondent Lauren Tomasi was live on air, only to be
00:42struck by a rubber bullet fired by a police officer.
00:46The shocking moment was captured on camera, and it has prompted international concern.
00:53The footage shows an officer raising his weapon, aiming toward Lauren and her camera operator,
01:00then firing.
01:02Lauren recoiled as the projectile struck her, leaving her with a large bruise, but thankfully
01:09no serious injury.
01:11It's a really crappy thing that's happened, she later told the Today Show.
01:17Back in Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the incident as horrific.
01:27He confirmed he has already raised the matter with the US government, emphasizing that there
01:33should be no ambiguity about Lauren's status as a member of the press.
01:40Albanese praised her resilience and demanded answers from American authorities.
01:45Lauren was not the only reporter affected.
01:49ABC North America correspondent Lauren Day reported feeling the burn of tear gas in her eyes, nose,
01:57lips and even throat.
02:00British photographer Nick Stern is recovering from emergency surgery after being wounded during
02:06the same protests.
02:08Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said the department is very concerned about media injuries.
02:16He defended the use of what he termed target-specific munitions.
02:21But admitted that in dynamic, fast-moving situations, they don't always hit their intended targets.
02:29The LAPD has launched an internal investigation into the Tomasi incident.
02:35Nine Network CEO Matt Stanton has also waked in pledging full cooperation with the LAPD investigation.
02:44He vowed to support Tomasi and her camera operator James Phillips, insisting that the safety
02:51of journalists must be paramount, especially as they cover these dramatic and troubling events
02:58on foreign soils.
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