News Reporter Shot in L.A. - STABILIZED

A 9News reporter who was shot with a rubber bullet while covering chaotic protests in Los Angeles has confirmed she is okay. US correspondent Lauren Tomasi yesterday was shot in the leg with a rubber bullet, which appeared to have been fired by a police officer who was standing guard in the city's downtown district. In a post to X, Tomasi said she was "a bit sore" but "okay". "Hey there. Thanks for all your messages - I'm a bit sore, but I'm okay," Tomasi wrote. "Important we keep on telling the stories that need to be told." Tomasi was struck as she reported live near the front line of the protests surrounding the city's metropolitan detention centre. Just seconds after she wrapped up a live cross to Australia, one of the officers turned his gun towards Tomasi and fired at her from close range. She yelled in pain before the camera turned away. Tomasi was left sore but otherwise unharmed. "I am okay. My cameraman, Jimmy and I are both safe," she said on last night's 6pm news. "This is just one of the unfortunate realities of reporting on these kinds of incidents. It has been a really volatile day on the streets of Los Angeles." It's unclear whether it was an LAPD officer firing the rubber bullet or one of the other forces involved in policing the protests. It happened on the third day of violent protests that erupted in the US's second-most populous city in response to sweeping arrests of alleged illegal immigrants. #LAImmigrationProtest #immigrantrights #ImmigrationReform #StandWithImmigrants #NoBanNoWall #DACA #FamiliesBelongTogether #LosAngelesProtest #KeepFamiliesTogether