KCAL Reporter Tear-Gassed During LA Demonstration

On Saturday night, CBS Los Angeles reporter Lauren Pozen was temporarily blinded by tear gas while covering protests against ICE raids in the city. 

As the situation escalated, Pozen, visibly distressed, reported live as tear gas and fireworks filled the air. Struggling to speak, she said, “We have tear gas, we have fireworks going off, tear gas is in the air, people are dispersing. I can’t see anything. I’m sorry, I can’t see anything.” Her colleagues in the studio urged her to find a safer location as she coughed through the broadcast. The network then switched to helicopter footage.

About three-and-a-half minutes later, Pozen resumed reporting, explaining, “Things happened so quickly out here. My back was turned to the camera, and all of a sudden, we heard that big boom. That was a massive amount of tear gas. It’s in my eyes, my face, my throat is burning. But that’s the reaction everyone here is experiencing. The purpose was to get people to move.” She noted that protesters, whom she described as “agitators,” were antagonizing police by setting off fireworks and approaching a dock’s doors.

Pozen added that the demonstration, which began around 3 p.m., had been mostly peaceful until it “took a turn.” She described protesters getting “way too close” to law enforcement, prompting police to form a skirmish line to disperse the crowd and shut down the protest.