USC student hit in eye by DHS' less-than-lethal weapon during 'No Kings' protest
USC student hit in eye by DHS during 'No Kings' protest
An 18-year-old USC student was struck in the eye by a less-than-lethal round while documenting a protest outside a federal detention center in Los Angeles.
LOS ANGELES - Tucker Collins, 18, was using his camera during No Kings Day rallies outside the Federal Detention Center in DTLA on March 28. Video shows him behind protesters when he is hit in the eye, seemingly with a less-than-lethal weapon fired by the Department of Homeland Security.
A medic and nurse at the rally helped get him to a hospital, where doctors removed several fragments of what Collins' attorneys describe as pieces of a projectile, likely fired from an FN 303.
Collins, a freshman studying aeronautical engineering at USC, says he was not a threat and was simply documenting what was happening, not being an agitator, which is how DHS is describing people at the protest.
DHS issued the following statement in response to the incident involving the USC student:
"The First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly — not rioting. DHS is taking appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters. Our law enforcement has followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary to protect themselves, the public, and federal property.
"Seven warnings were issued before the deployment of crowd control measures.
"On March 28, a group of 1,000 rioters surrounded the Roybal Federal Building in Los Angeles. Rioters threw rocks, bottles and cement blocks at officers. One rioter who threw a large piece of broken concrete at a CBP member was arrested for assault of a federal officer — a federal crime and felony. This individual is also a person of interest for breaking an FPS officer’s wrist.
"A second subject was arrested on multiple charges, including throwing objects at federal property, disorderly conduct and wearing a mask to conceal identity.
"A third subject assaulted a Los Angeles Police Department officer with a deadly weapon and is wanted for destruction of federal property."
Collins' attorney, V. James de Simone, is asking for state and local officials to investigate this and the "other attacks on citizens" by federal authorities.
Less-than-lethal weapons have been the target of court injunctions, specifically barring law enforcement from firing them at close range (less than 5 feet) or targeting a person's head, neck, face, eyes, kidneys or spine. Federal authorities have obtained stays on some of those injunctions pending litigation, and agencies like DHS continue to use them for crowd control.