The photographer, who recorded a “no-kings” protest in downtown Los Angeles over the weekend, may not regain his vision after suffering from a rubber bullet in his face.
Marshall Woodruff, 28, is at Los Angeles General Medical Center after recovering from his injuries on Saturday. He was there when around 30,000 people descended on La City Hall to protest President Donald Trump and his policies.
“Well, it started out as pretty amazing. You seemed like hundreds of people were protesting peacefully,” Woodruff said.
As the day progressed, clashes broke out between law enforcement officers and attendees. At about 5pm, the Los Angeles Police Department was layered in the face of a crowd.
“They came along with the horses and people were almost trampled,” the photographer said. “They were firing like 40 shots in five seconds, which sounded like fireworks were being shot quickly.”
He said the rubber bullet hit his arm and right eye.
“I felt like I was hit on the side of my head in a baseball thrown by the world’s biggest pitcher,” he said. “You just think about yourself and think, ‘I need to go outside.’ ”
Another one-night stay-at-home order in the downtown Los Angeles area ended after weekend protests over immigrant raids. Lauren Coronado reports on NBC4 News at 6am on June 16, 2025.
After the hit, Woodruff had surgery for five hours to reconstruct part of the eye.
“Even a doctor doesn’t know how much vision he has to go back to his right eye,” he said. “So it was just a painful process.”
LAPD declared an illegal rallies in the area around 4pm on Saturday. Woodruff said he had never heard of the notice of breakup.
“What I witnessed on Saturday was unfair,” he said. “And for me, I think it’s a clear indication that it wasn’t the protesters that was the issue. It was LAPD and I think they chose how they responded to the situation.”
LAPD said three officers were injured during the protest on Saturday. He didn’t say how many civilians were injured.
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