LAPD Officer Shoots Transgender Rights Protester at Close Range in Viral Video

A viral video has shown the harrowing moment a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer shot a transgender rights protester while standing just yards in front of her.

The footage was captured as protesters gathered outside Koreatown's Wi Spa on Saturday afternoon in a show of support for transgender rights.

In the clip, protesters could be heard telling police "put your guns down" with some also being filmed holding their hands in the air as armed officers stood close by.

At one point, one of the officers raises his firearm and fires a non-lethal round at a protester who hit the floor shortly afterward. Other protesters screamed as the woman writhed in pain and some shouted "what the f*** is wrong with you," which was directed at the police.

A Twitter user who uploaded the video on July 18 said: "Wi Spa today. Woman with hands up asking LAPD not to shoot as they aim less than lethal guns at us.

"One officer shoots her at close range in the stomach. #WiSpa #WiSpaProtest."

The 45-second clip has been viewed more than 20,000 times since it was uploaded onto the social media platform.

It is unclear whether any disciplinary action has been taken against the officer who discharged their firearm.

An LAPD spokesperson later told Newsweek: "This is a pending investigation, and we cannot comment."

LAPD officers had declared an unlawful assembly and ordered the area around Wi Spa be cleared and said anyone who remained would be arrested.

Alleged members of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group were also said to have been in the area before the violence escalated.

In one tweet from the account, Left Coast Right Watch showed an alleged member of the group apparently pepper-spraying an unarmed woman who had attempted to ask them questions.

According to The Guardian, dozens of people were arrested in connection to the protest on Saturday.

It comes after an earlier protest took place outside the same spa where some right-wing protesters were seen sharing slogans linked to QAnon.

The protests were sparked after an alleged incident where a transgender woman was said to have flashed a child, according to a woman who filmed herself complaining about the supposed incident.

However, police said they had not made any arrests in connection with the alleged incident and that they would not be investigating it.

A spokesperson earlier told Newsweek: "There were no arrests and several reports were taken on July 3. LAPD is not investigating the initial incident. There was no crime reported."