Horrifying footage shows moment journalist is shot by LAPD while reporting live on anti-ICE protests

A journalist was seemingly shot in the ankle by police while live reporting on the Los Angeles riots.

Chaos broke out in the Californian city last week after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made dozens of arrests linked to alleged immigration violations, sparking protests and riots.

The riots continued over the weekend, sparking President Trump to deploy National Guard troops to try and deescalate the situation.

Several dozen people have since been arrested. One was detained on Sunday for throwing a Molotov cocktail at police, and another for ramming a motorcycle into a line of officers, says PA.

Cars were also set on fire, sending large plumes of black smoke into the sky and exploding intermittently as the electric vehicles burned.

Cars were set alight in the LA protests over the weekend (Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)

By Sunday evening, police had issued an unlawful assembly order shutting down several blocks of downtown Los Angeles.

News outlets from across the globe have been reporting on the riots, including Australian outlet 9News.

US correspondent Lauren Tomasi was on hand to report live from the streets of LA and ended up being caught in the 'crossfire' in a shocking moment that was caught on camera.

Law enforcement were using rubber bullets as a means of trying to disperse the protests when Tomasi was seemingly shot in the ankle.

Understandably, Tomasi swore after being hit and hobbled out of shot as a concerned cameraman asked if she was okay.

See the moment here:

9News has since confirmed that the journalist 'was left sore but otherwise unharmed'.

People online have since expressed concerns that the office purposely aimed at Tomasi. Looking closely at the video footage, the officer appeared to turn in her direction and then fired.

"He aims right at her," one person on Twitter argued. "No one in between them. No chance of it being a missed shot. A purposeful close range shot, at an unarmed journalist, who was walking away."

"It looks like as soon as he makes eyes with the camera he fires," agreed someone else.

While it appeared as if he shot at Tomasi specifically, some said that there were protestors behind her and the camera crew and suggested that's who the officer was actually aiming at.

Others argued that Tomasi should have been wearing a press vest so that law enforcement knew she was a member of the media and not another protestor.

LADbible Group have approached the LAPD for comment on the matter.