Peaceful ICE Protester Shot in Face With Less-Lethal Round, Files Excessive Force Claim Against LAPD

Twenty-five-year-old Jasmin Lomas joined a Downtown Los Angeles protest against ICE and left with metal fragments embedded in her face. Three weeks later, she is still living with physical and emotional trauma after being struck by what her attorney believes was an indelible paint bullet fired by police, hitting her “just centimeters below her eye.” From her account, she was not engaging in violence but exercising her right to protest a federal immigration agency many believe harms immigrant families and communities. Instead of being protected, she says she was shot without warning.

“I feel like I can't really grasp what's happening and how severe it really is,” Lomas said, describing the aftermath. She explained that while tensions escalated and “there was tear gas and stuff,” she and others “didn't stay long” and were trying to leave the area. Although authorities reported issuing a dispersal order around 5:45 p.m., Lomas said she “did not hear” it and was actively attempting to exit. Around 6 p.m., as she used her phone to give a driver directions for pickup, she says an officer struck her in the face.

“They sat me down, and there was an EMT there that ended up helping me with the bleeding,” she recalled. “I still wasn't aware of what exactly happened, but with their reactions, I knew it was probably very bad.” The projectile hit her cheekbone, narrowly missing her eye. Her attorney, Paul Aghabala, said some metal remains lodged in her face because removing it poses medical risks. “The next step is to do a CT scan to see if the metal is in her bones,” he said.

A claim has now been filed alleging excessive force, along with a complaint to LAPD’s Internal Affairs Division. Aghabala said they want answers: “Who was the shooter, what kind of qualifications they had, did they have any training to use a weapon like this, and why was it that she got hit in the face without any warning?”

Link:  ABC7