This article was produced by Capital & Main. It is co-published by Rolling Stone with permission.
Tucker Collins, a 19-year-old astronautical engineering student at the University of Southern California, has experienced a profound transformation in his life over the past year. Relocating to Los Angeles and embarking on his college journey were significant milestones, but none compare to the traumatic event he endured on March 28, when a protest against federal immigration enforcement resulted in the loss of one of his eyes.
On that fateful day, Collins attended a No Kings protest in downtown Los Angeles equipped with a new camera given to him by his parents for Christmas. His intent was to document the actions of Department of Homeland Security agents who had enacted aggressive immigration raids during the Trump administration. “I think we’ve seen with DHS specifically, in this case, being used, weaponized into a force of terror against everyday citizens,” Collins stated. “I was there to document any potential crimes.”
Collins was part of a large protest group and had aimed his camera at DHS agents near the Metropolitan Detention Center when a kinetic impact projectile, commonly known as a less-lethal round, struck him in the face. Footage captured by another protester documented his immediate reaction, as he collapsed in pain, leading bystanders to rush him to safety. The injury was severe enough that doctors determined his eye required surgical removal.
Reflecting on the incident, Collins remarked, “This was a crime, and it was, I guess, surprising that it happened to me. But not surprising that it happened.” His journey didn’t end at the hospital; since the injury, he has navigated life with a glass eye and a new reality he never anticipated.
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Collins is among many individuals who have suffered injuries due to police or federal agent actions during ongoing protests in Southern California, a response to increased immigration enforcement measures. Since June 2025, local and federal law enforcement officers, often in riot gear, have deployed kinetic impact projectiles against crowds of demonstrators, with the Los Angeles Police Department reporting the firing of at least 2,587 such rounds through March 2026.
While specific statistics on injuries sustained during these protests remain elusive, the Los Angeles Press Club has documented over a dozen cases of harm to journalists in lawsuits concerning these events. Many injured individuals have begun legal action against the police and federal law enforcement, as they grapple with the aftermath of their injuries.
A review by Capital & Main identified at least five people, including Collins, who lost eye vision due to these projectiles. In interviews, each expressed a deep sense of injustice and ongoing adjustment to their new circumstances, often involving anxiety and the fear of their permanent impairments.
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Among these individuals, all five suffered vision loss in at least one eye, with three requiring surgical removals due to the seriousness of their injuries. The legal claims filed against responsible agencies continue to echo their struggles as they adjust to lifestyles that now present significant visual challenges.
Despite inquiries, neither the Los Angeles Police Department nor the Department of Homeland Security has responded to questions regarding the complaints from those injured by projectiles. Both agencies have indicated that they do not maintain records on the total number of injuries sustained by protesters since June 2025.
Ben Camacho/Capital & Main
Lost Forever
Collins was transferred to a different hospital due to the severity of his injuries, where surgeons removed five plastic fragments of the projectile from his skull. His eye, ultimately deemed irreparable, had to be removed entirely. He described the initial days of his recovery as both painful and disorienting, marked by severe headaches and the struggle to adjust to his new limitations.
“I’m worried how much it will, you know, impact my ability to do the things I love,” Collins remarked, voicing concerns about his future career in astronautical engineering. The gravity of his injury resulted in significant loss of depth perception, according to Dr. Marcos Lemor, the ophthalmologist involved in Collins’ care. “He’s never going to be able to really do that kind of very fine manual work because he does not have that perception,” Lemor noted, emphasizing the permanence of Collins’ condition.
Collins continues to cope with this loss, grappling with the notion of a life divided into “before and after” the accident.
Lives Changed
Collins is not alone in facing the devastating impact of law enforcement projectiles. In a prior protest, Marshall Woodruff, a 29-year-old photographer, also suffered eye loss due to LAPD actions. Following a violent encounter, both Kaden Rummler, 21, and Britain Rodriguez, 31, faced similarly grave outcomes during a protest outside Santa Ana City Hall.
Their respective injuries also required surgical removal of the affected eyes, reflecting a broader issue of physical violence during protests. Rummler was initially charged with felony assault on a federal agent; however, that charge was later downgraded to a minor infraction.
Another victim, Jesus Javier Gomez Islas, endured injury while on a scooter near a protest and has reported a potential autoimmune condition that threatens his remaining eye. Responses from authorities regarding these injuries have been limited, often citing ongoing litigation or declining to provide specific details.
A former spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security mildly noted the dangers inherent in protests, reminding the public and media of the risks involved in “covering unlawful activities in the field.”
Undeterred
Despite the challenges presented by his injury, Collins remains committed to pursuing his aspirations. Recently discharged from the hospital, he participated in a rocket launch event with USC’s Rocket Propulsion Lab, demonstrating his determination to remain engaged in his passion.
While the precision involved in engineering tasks is now considerably harder for him, Collins feels reinforced by the importance of documenting events and plans to resume using his camera at protests. His experience has solidified his mission to capture the realities he witnesses, undeterred by the trauma he has faced.
