MARINA DEL REY, Calif. — A civil rights attorney has filed suit against the Department of Homeland Security on behalf of an 18-year-old protester who was allegedly shot and blinded by a federal officer, according to a press release issued April 8, 2026.
On April 8, 2026, the office of civil rights attorney V. James DeSimone published a press release announcing its representation of Tucker Collins, who was allegedly shot and blinded by a Department of Homeland Security officer two weeks ago.
DeSimone’s office announced it will be filing a federal tort claim against DHS for wrongful injury and negligence of a federal employee.
On March 28, 18-year-old Los Angeles resident Tucker Collins was protesting as part of the “No Kings March” in downtown Los Angeles.
He and some fellow protesters splintered off from a larger group to protest outside the Metropolitan Detention Center.
The Metropolitan Detention Center has been a focal point for protesters, as part of a complex of buildings that includes the Los Angeles field office for DHS, according to an article about Collins and the shooting from The Guardian.
According to the press release and videos of the incident published by DeSimone’s office, Collins was in the rear of a crowd surrounding the detention center.
A DHS officer then allegedly shot a projectile “directly in [Collins’] eye.”
The projectile struck Collins and destroyed his eyeball, fracturing the bones in his eye socket.
DeSimone, in the press release, suspected the projectile was a “pepper ball,” a bullet-like projectile designed to create the effect of oleoresin capsicum (pepper spray).
Collins was blinded in his right eye by the injury.
The release makes no mention of the DHS officer’s identity or current status within the organization.
Collins is a University of Southern California freshman majoring in astronautical engineering with a minor in cinematic arts.
According to the article by The Guardian, federal Judge Hernán Vera of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California issued a ruling in September 2025 blocking DHS from using excessive force against journalists and protesters.
In the press release, DeSimone said of Collins, “He was not threatening anyone. He wasn’t attacking anyone. DHS officers took out his eye and they did it despite a federal injunction that plainly forbids firing these weapons at people’s heads.”
“Tucker suffered a life-altering injury documenting a protest, not participating in violence. That should alarm anyone who cares about civil rights, press freedom, and accountability,” DeSimone added.
Los Angeles was just one of the hotbeds for a series of protests across the nation on March 28, as the presidency of Donald J. Trump has come under increasing criticism.
These protests were a result of the administration’s mass deportation campaign, rising cost of living and the war in Iran, according to an article by The Guardian.
Last summer, Los Angeles was the site of mass protests against DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, resulting in President Trump’s federalization of the California National Guard in an effort to put down those protests.
President Trump’s federalization of the National Guard last June resulted in another successful legal challenge, as federal Judge Charles R. Breyer ruled the federalization illegal as the use of a military force against civilians.
Suits from DeSimone and other civil rights agencies continue to pressure the Trump administration’s activities in California and across the nation, as police action has seen an uptick throughout the chaotic first two years of Trump’s presidency.
DeSimone’s office has scheduled a press conference for April 15 at its Marina del Rey office.
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