Shot by Rubber Bullets, Trampled by Police Horses: A First-Person Account of Los Angeles’s Anti-ICE Protests

For the past few weeks, the city of Los Angeles has been under a military occupation sanctioned by President Trump against the consent of Governor Newsom. Police tactics escalated on Saturday, June 14th, after the “No Kings” protest in Downtown LA. Following a peaceful demonstration estimated to have drawn around 30,000 people, protesters gathered around the federal building to protest in front of the National Guard stationed at the entrance. In the hours they were gathered, no incidents occurred, until 4 p.m., when police began to move into the thousands of protesters left in the area. 

I witnessed the police surround the crowd on foot and horseback from multiple cross streets, kettling them into confined areas. Journalists and protesters were caught on the south and west ends of Temple Street. Videos circulated on social media of the large crowd, including press, being trampled by police on horseback, shot at with rubber bullets, and tear-gassed, often without provocation. 

While documenting the scene, I was just feet away from being trampled by a horse while a woman to my left fell to the ground and got caught under the horse. More police on horseback attempted to trample those on the front line, and the crowd of protesters became understandably upset about the tactic they were witnessing. Within minutes, the police put on their gas masks, and before we could back up significantly enough to disperse, the press and protesters were tear-gassed, flash-banged, and shot with rubber bullets. There was little warning and little time to get to safety.

Throughout the days that followed, journalists and protesters shared their videos and experiences online. Protester Daisy Ureno was kettled near a structure next to City Hall. As she filmed the incident, she could be heard whimpering in pain as a woman helped her get to safety. “I was immediately hit with a rubber bullet to my head. I truly thought that I was going to be killed by these officers if I did not get up and run.” Ureno told me after her video of the attack circulated online. “It hit me hard, and I could feel my heart pounding and the pain rushing through my body. Everything happened quickly after that. People were panicked and rushing around to get away.” 

The violence enacted by the police has been downplayed by Mayor Bass, who has collaborated with the department since the protests began. In an interview with Jim Acosta on Substack on Tuesday, Bass stated, “Unfortunately, we had some problems towards the end (of the protest) and that resulted in some conflicts between protesters and law enforcement, but it was brought under control very quickly.” On Monday, June 16th, the Los Angeles Press Club filed suit against the LAPD, which included my incident, for its attacks against the press. Last week, Kenneth Mejia, City Controller of Los Angeles, shared his findings on Instagram that the city spent nearly $20 million on the protests, 87% of which went directly to the LAPD. With more pending lawsuits expected to come, the cost of these unnecessary tactics could double over time. 

As a journalist on the front lines who was targeted by their violent tactics, I am extremely concerned that Bass, a Democratic leader, not holding the police accountable will lead to more public distrust and outrage. Attacking the press, which has constitutional protections, has historically been the first sign of democratic erosion. Now, with the current state of political division and distrust, we need to protect the media’s right to truthful documentation more than ever.