A leftist rioter involved in “protesting” against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) claims he suffered severe injuries to his groin, including a “shattered” testicle, after being shot with a rubber bullet by police during a violent riot in downtown Los Angeles.
“It sucks to sit down,” said Martin Santoyo, 33, who described the incident in an interview with KTLA following his release from the hospital.
Santoyo says the injury occurred Monday near Temple Street during escalating protests that turned into violent riots.
He claims he was shot at close range shortly after dismounting his bicycle amidst a confrontation between protesters and law enforcement.
“A man who was out protesting against ICE raids in downtown Los Angeles this week spoke with KTLA after an officer’s close-range shot to his groin with a rubber bullet severely bruised one of his testicles… and ‘shattered’ the other,” KTLA reported.
Santoyo alleges that he did not hear police declare the protest an unlawful gathering before the violence erupted.
A similar incident occurred in 2020 when a Black Lives Matter rioter was shot in the groin with a rubber bullet during violent unrest in Los Angeles, causing him to lose a testicle.
South African native Bradley Steyn claimed the LAPD was responsible for his injuries.
Steyn claimed he was “attacked” by law enforcement during a May 30, 2020, “George Floyd protest” in Los Angeles’ Fairfax district.
He started a GoFundMe page to cover his medical bills and legal funds.
On the page, he described the events of May 30.
“I was marching peacefully with at the Black Lives Matter march on Saturday the 30th May, here in Los Angeles, near Fairfax in memory of George Floyd and so many other black Americans that have been murdered in America. Apartheid-style,” he alleged.
“At the march, I was shot by a member of the LAPD with a rubber bullet in the testicles.
“One of which was ruptured and led to me almost bleeding out on the streets of Los Angeles.”
The latest alleged injury came as riots intensified across Los Angeles on Saturday.
The violence was part of the leftist George Soros-funded “No Kings” rallies targeting federal immigration enforcement and the Trump administration.
Violent agitators clashed with police throughout the week, with more incidents reported on Saturday.
Mobs of leftists “attacked police officers” during the weekend riots, authorities confirmed.
In response to the escalating violence and threats to public safety, the Trump administration has federalized the California National Guard and deployed hundreds of U.S. Marines to help protect federal property in Los Angeles.
The move follows repeated assaults on federal facilities and personnel by demonstrators aligned with far-left groups.
While Santoyo’s personal injuries have drawn sympathetic coverage from local media, less attention has been paid to the actions of violent rioters, who have assaulted officers, thrown projectiles, and stormed federal buildings over the last several days.
Despite claims from activists, law enforcement sources maintain that officers have been responding to coordinated attacks on police and federal property, and have repeatedly issued lawful dispersal orders before using crowd-control measures.
A protester’s injury is making headlines, but it’s happening in the context of escalating lawlessness, where police are under attack and the federal government is being forced to mobilize military support to restore order in one of America’s largest cities.
As Santoyo recovers from his injuries at home, the city remains on edge, and ICE, Marines, and federal officers are bracing for more violence from extremist agitators using “protest” as a smokescreen for destruction.
