Alicia Unger, the Azteca America reporter who was shoved hard into a cargo crate during one of Mayor Villaraigosa's more exciting press conferences, filed an injury claim against the city today -- likely the first step in pursuing a lawsuit.

According to Dave Zahniser in the Times:

Attorney Luis Carrillo said Port Police Sgt. Kevin McCloskey used excessive force against his client when he blocked Unger [from approaching the mayor].

"He pushed a 5-foot-2, 5-foot-3 woman who's 100 pounds into a steel container," Carrillo said. "There was no need to use that level of force against that little woman. She was no threat to him."

Apparently, McCloskey didn't think so.

Clips of the incident aired on various newscasts as well as The Tonight Show.