Direct attack? Los Angeles police fire rubber bullets at journalist on live television.

Amid the chaos in Los Angeles over protests against immigration raids driven by the Donald Trump administration, one particularly gruesome scene was captured on video: Australian journalist Lauren Tomasi, a correspondent for 9News Australia, was struck by a rubber bullet fired by police while reporting live from downtown.

In the video that has gone viral on social media, Tomasi is seen broadcasting on a downtown Los Angeles street when he suddenly ducks after being hit by a rubber bullet fired by an LAPD officer. The scene occurs amid coverage of the protests sparked by ICE operations and the deployment of the National Guard, ordered by Trump.

“You just fucking shot the press!” (“You just fucking shot the press, damn it!”), while on camera you can clearly see an agent aim and shoot towards the area where the reporter was.

Accounts such as OSINTdefender and Anonymous accused the Los Angeles police of directly targeting the journalist, describing the attack as "point-blank." The Anonymous group even claimed it was a coordinated attack with ICE forces, serving the "Trump regime."

For their part, Republicans Against Trump called the incident "unjustifiable and shameful," while The Tennessee Holler joined the denunciations, sharing the video and demanding an explanation: "Insane. You can see him take aim directly at her."

Lauren Tomasi is 9News Australia's international correspondent in the United States. She has previously shared reports on social media from high-conflict zones like Portland and New York, and this year she has extensively covered the electoral process, as well as immigration operations on the southern border.

In a brief social media post, 9News confirmed that Tomasi is fine, but acknowledged that the impact occurred while she was "carrying out her duties reporting from the heart of the protests."

Los Angeles has been at the epicenter of the immigration conflict since President Trump ordered the deployment of the National Guard and endorsed massive ICE raids. Over the weekend, more than 100 people were detained, sparking a wave of demonstrations, clashes with police, and roadblocks.