College Student's Eye Surgically Removed After DHS Projectile Strike During Protest Filming
An 18-year-old college freshman has filed a federal civil rights complaint seeking $100 million in damages after a Department of Homeland Security officer fired a less-lethal munition into his face during protests in Los Angeles, destroying his right eye and requiring its surgical removal.
"I Was Recording When It Happened. There Was No Warning"
Tucker Collins, a University of Southern California student studying astronautical engineering, was filming "No Kings" rallies outside the Metropolitan Detention Center on March 28 when the incident occurred. According to his complaint, DHS agents began firing crowd-control munitions into the crowd without warning, striking Collins from approximately 20 to 30 feet away.
"One moment I was recording and the next thing I know, I can't see. I'm on the floor, screaming in agony," Collins said during a press conference announcing the complaint. "I was blind for a couple moments. I remember feeling blood on my face."
Video footage from the scene shows Collins moving through the crowd with a camera before officers began firing. Other footage captures protesters wrapping his face in bandages as blood streamed from his injury while officers continued to deploy tear gas.
Catastrophic and Permanent Injuries
The federal tort complaint alleges Collins has suffered "catastrophic and permanent personal injuries, including the surgical removal of his right eye, permanent vision loss, physical pain, psychological and emotional injuries, a traumatic brain injury, and significant economic losses."
Images shared with media outlets show Collins in surgery as doctors removed parts of his eye and fragments of the projectile that struck his face. The impact also fractured the bones in his eye socket.
Collins still faces multiple surgeries and will need to add another semester to complete his college degree, according to his attorney V. James DeSimone. The complaint accuses federal agencies of:
- Assault and battery
- Intentional infliction of emotional distress
- Violations of California's Bane Act, which protects protesters from threats of violence
DHS Response and Broader Context
A Homeland Security spokesperson did not directly address Collins' complaint but stated that "the First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly — not rioting." The agency claimed that approximately 1,000 rioters surrounded the area and threw rocks, bottles, and cement blocks at officers, who issued seven warnings before deploying crowd control measures.
"DHS is taking appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters," the spokesperson said. "Our law enforcement has followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary."
Collins vehemently disputes this characterization: "I'm in no way an agitator. I just had my camera. There's no way I was a danger to anyone."
Growing Legal Challenges Against Federal Force
The complaint comes amid an avalanche of lawsuits accusing federal agents of unconstitutional use of force following violent clashes with demonstrators across the country. After former President Donald Trump surged officers into cities to support immigration enforcement operations, protesters have reported devastating injuries including:
- Permanent vision loss
- Fractured skulls
- Broken ribs from projectiles or physical confrontations
Lawsuits against DHS have prompted federal courts to intervene, with judges in multiple jurisdictions blocking officers from indiscriminately firing tear gas, pepper balls, rubber bullets, and other weapons into crowds. One judge in Chicago described such actions as "shocking the conscience," while an Oregon judge who blocked agents from shooting into crowds after children inhaled tear gas warned that "our nation is now at a crossroads."
Family Impact and Calls for Criminal Investigation
"When something like this happens, it really affects the whole family," said Collins' mother Joann Collins. "He was just there to document history … and they took his eye for it."
Attorney V. James DeSimone has urged state and local law enforcement to open a criminal investigation into the incident, stating: "Stop shooting at people's heads. How many eyes have to be lost? How many concussions do we need to have? How many injuries? … It is time to stop."
The federal civil rights complaint represents the initial legal step before a formal lawsuit expected to be filed in the coming weeks. It joins numerous other legal challenges questioning the tactics of federal law enforcement during recent protest movements across the United States.
