A CNN correspondent began coughing and struggled to continue a live report on Friday after being hit during clashes between protesters and federal officers outside an ICE detention facility in downtown Los Angeles. Officers fired pepper balls and used chemical agents to disperse the crowd.
CNN correspondent Veronica Miracle was reporting outside the Metropolitan Detention Center when she suddenly paused mid-sentence. She told anchor Erin Burnett, “OK, I just got hit. Hold on. Hold on.” Moments later, Miracle added, “Sorry. I can’t breathe,” while coughing and stepping away from the camera. She later mentioned that she had been hit in the leg.
Video aired by CNN showed a white powdery substance on Miracle’s pants as the camera briefly panned down during the live shot. “So obviously, they’re shooting something,” Miracle said on air. “Pepper balls or something.” Burnett encouraged her to take her time and make sure she was safe as the report continued.
The incident took place as law enforcement agencies worked to clear demonstrators gathered outside the federal detention center. Protesters had come earlier in the day to oppose immigration enforcement operations, and the demonstration grew as evening approached. According to Miracle’s on-air account, tensions rose after some protesters moved closer to the facility, prompting officers to advance and use crowd-control measures.
During the live segment, Miracle reported that irritants were lingering in the air and affecting not only the demonstrators but also members of the press. “We just all got pepper sprayed,” she said, noting that people around her were coughing and gagging as officers pushed the crowd back from the building.
Authorities later stated that pepper balls and chemical agents were used after the gathering was declared an unlawful assembly. Pepper balls are made to break on impact and release an irritant similar to pepper spray. Though classified as “less lethal,” the devices can cause severe burning, coughing, and temporary breathing issues when they hit or burst nearby.
After leaving the area, Miracle posted on social media that the CNN crew was safe and had withdrawn as conditions became more intense. She did not mention any lasting injuries.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass addressed the situation in a public statement, calling for restraint and urging demonstrators to stay peaceful. “Peaceful protest is a constitutional right,” Bass wrote. “I urge Angelenos to exercise that right safely and not give this administration an excuse to escalate.”
The confrontation in Los Angeles followed a series of demonstrations in recent weeks related to federal immigration enforcement activity. Some of these protests have resulted in the use of chemical agents by law enforcement, and journalists covering these events have sometimes found themselves caught in the crowd-control actions directed at protesters, attracting criticism from advocates for press freedom.
It is unclear whether CNN would file a formal complaint about the incident. The Department of Homeland Security and ICE have previously said that officers are trained to avoid targeting journalists and bystanders while maintaining control of quickly changing protest situations.
The footage drew renewed attention to the risks faced by journalists covering street-level demonstrations, especially with a more aggressive ICE under Noem and Trump.
