Photographer’s camera swatted by pedestrian during live shot in LA

Videographer Kip Ebanks had his camera shoved by a passerby, jamming it into his face while he was filming a Newsmax report in Los Angeles, California, on July 30, 2026.

Newsmax correspondent Joe Moeller recounted the incident in a news segment, saying that he and a photographer went to the city’s Skid Row neighborhood to report on animal abuse and homelessness in the area.

“During a live shot, a homeless person actually walked up and smashed my photographer’s face with a camera,” Moeller said. A clip of the incident shows the photographer’s camera jostling, followed by a man’s hand appearing in the frame before he walks away.

Newsmax later confirmed the photographer was Ebanks. He did not return a request for comment for this story.