Australian Reporter Allegedly Hit by Rubber Bullet While Reporting on Immigration Protest

At one point, Lauren Tomasi, the U.S. correspondent for Australia's 9News, was apparently shot by a rubber bullet -- at close range -- while reporting live at one of the demonstrations in Downtown LA on Sunday.

"After hours of standing off, this situation has now rapidly deteriorated," Tomasi said to the camera outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles.

"The LAPD moving in on horseback, firing rubber bullets at protesters, moving them on through the heart of LA," she continued.

It's then, seconds after wrapping up a live shot with Australia, that she was seemingly hit by one of those same rubber bullets by an officer behind her.

In footage from the scene, Tomasi yelps and clutches her leg, while a bystander can be heard yelling, "You just f--king shot the reporter!"

Later, she insisted she was "okay" and both she and her cameraman were "safe."

"This is just one of the unfortunate realities of reporting on these kinds of incidents," she added.

In a statement, Nine, said: "Lauren Tomasi was struck by a rubber bullet. Lauren and her camera operator are safe and will continue their essential work covering these events."

"This incident serves as a stark reminder of the inherent dangers journalists can face while reporting from the frontlines of protests, underscoring the importance of their role in providing vital information," the network added.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, meanwhile, issued a statement claiming that "all journalists should be able to do their work safely."

"Australia supports media freedom and the protection of journalists," the agency said.

Meanwhile, Australian senator Sarah Hanson-Young has called for the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, to demand "an urgent explanation" from the Trump administration.

"US authorities shooting an Australian journalist is simply shocking," Hanson-Young said.

"It is completely unacceptable and must be called out. The prime minister must seek an urgent explanation from the US administration," she continued. "As Albanese is preparing for his first meeting with President Trump, the first thing he must tell the president is to stop shooting at our journalists."

"Freedom of the press is a fundamental pillar of a strong, functioning democracy," Hanson-Young concluded.

On Saturday, Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to respond to the growing protests, which centered around federal buildings in downtown LA, where ICE officials were detaining immigrants.

"BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!" Trump posted on Truth Social late Sunday -- while both California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have stood firmly against the decision, accusing Trump of escalating the issue with his response.