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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.
Tucker Collins, 18, was using his camera during No Kings Day rallies outside the Federal Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles when he was hit in the eye, seemingly with a less-than-lethal weapon fired by the Department of Homeland Security, according to video and his testimony.
Lost an eye
At a news conference on Wednesday, Collins and his attorneys said that a medic and nurse at the March 28 rally helped get him to a hospital, where doctors removed several fragments, likely fired from an FN 303.
He underwent surgery for two hours and ultimately lost his eye.
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.
"I was in no way an agitator. I just had my camera… I was recording and the next thing I know, I can’t see," Collins said at the Wednesday press conference, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. "It was some of the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life."
DHS response
What they're saying:
In a statement, the DHS said that the First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly, but "not rioting." The DHS said that seven warnings were issued before they deployed "crowd control" measures, describing a scene where 1,000 "rioters" surrounded the federal building. The agency said the "rioters" were throwing rocks, bottles and cement blocks at officers.
"DHS is taking appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters," the statement said.. "Our law enforcement has followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary to protect themselves, the public, and federal property."
The backstory:
Less-than-lethal weapons have been the target of court injunctions, specifically barring law enforcement from firing them at close range 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.
What's next:
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. According to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, they are seeking $100 million from the government in a tort claim.
The Source: This report is based on video evidence from the March 28 rally, medical findings provided by Tucker Collins’ legal team, and an official written statement from the Department of Homeland Security detailing their use of force. KTVU and the San Gabriel Valley Tribune contributed to this report.