CalCoastNews reporter assaulted while filming looters in Los Angeles

June 4, 2020

Josh Friedman

By CCN Staff

A group of looters assaulted and robbed CalCoastNews reporter Josh Friedman in downtown Los Angeles early Sunday morning as he was reporting on the protests and riots in the LA area following the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.

Shortly after midnight, Friedman was filming looters pillaging a Walgreens near the intersection of Hope and 7th streets near the financial district and live-streaming the action on YouTube. While Friedman walked across the street to film looting at a Rite Aid on the opposite corner, a woman began yelling, “He’s recording all y’all. Get the camera from him.”

A group of young men surrounded Friedman, who was wearing a press pass.

“ Sir, I’m press. Sir, I’m press,” Friedman screamed out as he shoved his phone in his pocket.

The men ganged up on Friedman, punching him and kicking him. Friedman suffered multiple blows to the face, head and body, leaving him bloodied and bruised. In the end, Friedman had a bloody lip, a cut on the side of his head, and bloody hand.

The attackers stole Friedman’s batters helmet he wore to protect his head from bottle and rubber bullets and two cell phone battery packs he was carrying. They did not steal Friedman’s cell phone, which live-streamed audio of the whole incident.

On Saturday afternoon, Friedman filmed protestors marching on city streets. As agitators and looters joined the crowd, Friedman filmed hundreds of individuals looting businesses and fires burning in Los Angeles’s Fairfax district.

Friedman says he acknowledges he is taking risks by covering the protests and particularly looting, but there is a great deal of importance to the reporting.

“When there are nationwide protests and riots happening that are impacting the lives of millions of Americans and are the focus of public discourse, it is crucial to have journalists documenting what is occurring — and doing so not just from helicopters and from behind police lines, but on the ground, in the heart of the action,” Friedman said.

During his coverage, Friedman has discovered that large protests attract instigators of violence and looters. The looters break windows, pillage businesses and set fires while protesters occupy the attention of police. The instigators throw objects at police lines, sometimes prompting officers to fire rubber bullets at peaceful protesters, Friedman said.


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I’m sure the SLO Tribune’s Matt Fountain will get a Pulitzer for this.


Good to remind people of that shameful of The Tribune’s shameful complicity with financial elder abuse that left 80 years olds destitute and then crowning themselves with glory when they finally had to admit it.


I’m glad/hope Josh is fine. He and CCN are one of the diamonds in a vast sea of crap that doesn’t even masquerade as journalism to anyone but the most zealous among us.


If we’re lucky, maybe Josh’s horrible experience in L.A. (hopefully) wake up other so-called “journalists” who absolutely incite this type of behavior all the time, in the false hopes of financial and reputation gain for themselves. Journalism has consequences. It’s not 100% of the reason, but who can deny that bad, misleading, and flat-out lying people posing as journalists have not contributed significantly.


I’m not even surprised anymore when the “I’m on your side” cucks get their asses handed to them by a mob. Do you even understand what happens when a mob forms? There’s no reasoning, there’s no pleading. Disgracefully ignorant.


Which George are they rioting for again? Floyd or Soros?


“ Sir, I’m press. Sir, I’m press,” … Sir, you are naive. Sir, you are naive.


OMG Josh! Thank God you walked out of there! Im not surprised this happened though. Maybe try a hidden camera? Thank you for your willingness to put yourself in harms way to bring us the reality of what’s happening out there!


Don’t listen to manly man talk. Don’t fall for posing photo ops or the noble fourth estate stuff. Avoid riots and looting. Leave the scene. Don’t go and lookie loo because you will be pulled into it. It is not heroism to get busted up. You risk ruining your life, your parents’ hearts, and your family’s finances with medical bills and long term life support costs.

Interesting article from the LA Times: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/looters-who-hit-l-a-stores-explain-what-they-did-get-my-portion/ar-BB155hRE?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout


I sure hope the idiotic MAYOR OF SLO watched and listened to this!!! WHAT KIND OF ANIMALS are out there?? Oh, peaceful protests…then WHAT HAPPENS?? So scary for this reporter and all of society that people can be so cold hearted. Yes, the officer(s) that killed George Floyd is one of them – Criminal low-life. But the looting and pillaging, destructive acts are NOT going to make anything better. Why isn’t there MORE OUTRAGE about this?? Oh no, we have stupid Celebs like John Legend signing “Defund” the police departments and now Mayor (“She must HIGH) Heidi Harmon not willing to back her Police Department!! She needs to be UNSEATED NOW! I pray for our nation and for SLO. Paso held their own, and I thank that Police Department for NOT letting the TURDS take over the town or Highway! P.S. I hope you’ve recovered from your injuries Josh.


“He’s recording all y’all. Get the camera from him.” This woman speaks volumes to the mentality of the predators who follow those who chum for their presence.


Excellent job Josh, thanks for your commitment to reporting the truth.