As police face lawsuits over attacks on journalists during LA protests, experts warn press safety is disappearing across the US
A tear gas canister to the knee sent one journalist to the hospital for minor surgery. A ricocheted rubber bullet struck another in the thigh. A third was hit by a pepper ball in the leg, and later struck in the head with a separate projectile, leaving her with a diagnosed concussion. A fourth journalist took shrapnel from a “less lethal” munition to the leg, requiring hospitalization and expected to face months of recovery.
All wore clearly marked press credentials while covering June protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids across Los Angeles. Their injuries are just a few among more than 50 incidents detailed in two sweeping federal lawsuits that accuse the LAPD and LA County Sheriff’s Department of systematically targeting journalists.
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