After a close-range shot to the groin with a rubber bullet, an anti-ICE leftist protester reportedly had one of his testicles “shattered,” leaving him in extreme pain, with the man saying that while doctors “somewhat fixed” the testicle, it is still in rough shape.
For context, on June 14, 2025, Los Angeles’s KTLA reported that Martin Santoyo, a 33-year-old protester who took part in the violent riots in downtown LA, got shot in the groin with a rubber bullet when authorities began to move towards him. Santoyo told KTLA that after he was hit with the rubber bullet, he could barely walk and had to get surgery.
During an interview with KTLA’s Lily Dallow, Santoyo described his current predicament, saying, “It sucks to sit down,” and adding that he had gotten injured when he tried to take his water bottle out of his backpack as authorities started moving to quell the riots. Santoyo told Dallow, “Then they start shouting, ‘Move back!’ But I’m still fixing up my backpack and my bike, and then they just pushed me.”
Continuing, Santoyo explained that at that point, he told a police officer, “Don’t push me, I’m already moving back.” As Santoyo tells it, after he spoke to the officer, “the cop right next to him had a gun and just aimed and shot.” Moreover, Santoyo said that the officer was standing just a few feet away from him and shot him right in the groin. “After I got hit, I couldn’t really walk,” Santoyo said.
In addition, Santoyo described how he was “too much in shock” to move after that point, adding that the police officers were “still pushing” to try to get him to back up. Santoyo explained, “Some other protesters were trying to help me walk, but they’re pushing them too, and everyone’s shouting, ‘Yo, he just got hit, let him breathe.’ I needed to sit down for a bit, but they kept pushing.”
Moreover, the 33-year-old said that after other protesters helped him get medical attention, he ended up having to get surgery. He told Dallow, “I have a bruised left testicle, and my right testicle was shattered.” He then added, “They say that they somewhat fixed it, so it should have some function, but it’s still very badly damaged.”
However, despite his injuries, Santoyo said that he is going to continue protesting and defended his decision to take part in the riots. “I went for the people that can’t, the people who are too scared to go. There are a lot of kids that I know who’ve lost their parents,” he explained. He later added that he was planning on attending the “No Kings” protests, which took place on June 14. “The 14th is a big movement, so I might be there on (sic) a wheelchair,” he said.
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In addition, Santoyo explained that doctors had not given him a clear picture of how long it would take him to recover. Moreover, the protester said that he is currently on leave from work and was instructed to return for a follow-up appointment in a few days to determine whether he can go back to work.
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