If you've been watching the live stream today, you know things are moving fast and furious in New York, LA and elsewhere. Police in riot gear are doing their best to shut down the press and the protesters, and aren't very discriminating about who they hit.

Tucker Carlson's Daily Caller is no fan of the Occupy Movement, but that might change after today's police assault on their videographer and reporter:

While covering Occupy Wall Street’s “Day of Action” Thursday morning, Daily Caller reporter Michelle Fields and videographer Direna Cousins were struck by NYPD officers as police tried to clear Wall Street of protesters.

“The police officers were beating the protesters with batons, and were also beating the media,” Fields told TheDC. “They hit Direna and me with batons. They hit other members of the press in order to get them to move out of the street.”

Both were struck, but neither sustained injuries that required hospitalization.

Clear indications that Fields and Cousins were members of the press didn’t stop the NYPD beating.

“Direna had a camera in her hand and I had a microphone, and we were being hit,” she said. “When I fell to the ground I said at one point, ‘I’m just covering this! I’m covering this!’ And the officer just said, ‘Come on, get up, get up,’ before pulling me up by my jacket.’”

“The protesters came up to me right away and asked if I needed any medical assistance. They were actually very kind and helpful. It was the police officers who were very aggressive,” Fields added.

It's shameful to see these thuggish police actions against the press and public in this country. As much as I dislike the Daily Caller, I certainly don't think there was any cause for police to throw them to the ground and hit them like that. Perhaps they will reconsider the harsh treatment they've given the Occupy movement in light of what these two went through.

[h/t ThinkProgress]