A freshman at the University of Southern California lost an eye after being struck by a projectile that a federal agent fired during a “No Kings” protest last month, his lawyer said.
The student, Tucker Collins, 18, was using his camera to document a confrontation between demonstrators and federal agents in downtown Los Angeles late in the afternoon on March 28 when a crowd-control munition struck him in his right eye, the lawyer, V. James DeSimone, said in a statement.
After being transported to the hospital, Mr. Collins underwent surgery for two and a half hours in an attempt to save the eye, Mr. DeSimone said in an interview on Thursday. But the damage was too severe, and the eye had to be surgically removed, he said.
Mr. DeSimone said that an officer with the Department of Homeland Security had fired the munition, fragments of which were recovered from his client’s eye, and that he suspected it was a pepper ball. However, it was unclear on Thursday exactly what hit Mr. Collins’s eye, and The New York Times could not confirm that a federal agent had fired the munition.
Mr. Collins is recuperating and receiving treatment to determine if his injuries extend beyond the damage to his eye, Mr. DeSimone said. Mr. Collins intends to finish his semester at U.S.C., where he is majoring in astronautical engineering with a minor in cinematic arts. He was unavailable to be interviewed on Thursday, but Mr. DeSimone said in his statement that he intends to file a lawsuit against the federal government.
A video of the episode outside the Metropolitan Detention Center captured by a bystander shows Mr. Collins, dressed in a bright red T-shirt and jeans, standing back from a fence line separating protesters from law enforcement officials, his camera raised, when his body crumbles suddenly to the pavement.
Photographs Mr. DeSimone shared of Mr. Collins’s injuries in the immediate aftermath show blood running down Mr. Collins’s face, drying in streaks along his bluish-green medical mask.
In a statement, D.H.S. said that a crowd had descended that day on the Roybal Federal Building, next door to the federal Metropolitan Detention Center. The department characterized the crowd members as rioters who threw rocks, bottles and cement blocks at federal officers, and it said that agency personnel had used crowd control measures only after issuing seven warnings.
“Our law enforcement has followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary to protect themselves, the public and federal property,” D.H.S. said in its statement.
More than 3,000 protests were held across the country that day to denounce President Trump and his policies. The demonstrations were largely peaceful, but in Los Angeles, as the day wore on, many protesters remained on the street and became unruly, yelling at officials and throwing items. Police officers and federal agents then cleared the streets.
Losing an eye has affected Mr. Collins’s ability to work in a visual medium, but he is determined to keep pursuing photography, Mr. DeSimone said. Still, Mr. Collins remained shaken.
“He wants to continue on and continue his work,” Mr. DeSimone said. “But, when I’ve spoken to him, he’s struggling.”
Rachel Parsons contributed reporting.
Chris Hippensteel is a reporter covering breaking news and a member of the 2025-26 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their careers.
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