Ferguson police release videos showing officer pushed to sidewalk during protests marking decade since Michael Brown killing
Ferguson Police Chief Troy Doyle said body camera video and footage from a nearby business appear to show the suspect charge at officer Travis Brown near a sidewalk during the Friday night protests.
“I think it’s a clear indication that my officer was charged and was hit violently by this individual,” the chief said at a Tuesday news conference. The videos also show officers taking the suspect, 28-year-old Elijah Gantt, into custody while pushing other protesters away from Brown, according to Doyle.
Brown suffered a severe brain injury, the chief said, and remains hospitalized in critical condition. A prayer vigil for Brown is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the police station.
Friday marked 10 years to the day since Michael Brown, 18, was shot and killed by a Ferguson police officer on August 9, 2014, while walking on the street with his friend. The teenager’s killing and the hundreds of days of sustained protests that followed helped strengthen the Black Lives Matter movement and brought the issue of police use of force against unarmed Black Americans to the forefront of US policy and politics.
The protests on Friday followed the Brown family’s weeklong tribute to the young man Michael Brown was and could have been.
The incident with the officer occurred after protesters blocked streets near the Ferguson police station. Demonstrations were peaceful for most of the evening until some people began to shake the police station’s fence, Doyle said at a Saturday news conference.
Police did not react, Doyle said, and the fence shaking happened multiple times until protesters “broke the bottom portions of our fence, they destroyed property on our police department’s parking lot.”
At that point, Doyle deployed his arrest team to make arrests for destruction of property. The team was assaulted by several protesters, Doyle said.
As Travis Brown was attempting to arrest someone who had broken and stolen a large portion of the station’s fence, the suspect charged at him “violently” with his shoulder, which knocked the officer down and caused him to suffer a head injury, Doyle said.
One of the videos released Tuesday shows several individuals shaking a fence to “destroy it,” Doyle said, adding the protesters appeared to be trying to break into the police station. Protesters allegedly caused $3,000 in damages, Doyle said.
The department also released body camera footage from another involved officer, which shows a law enforcement team responding after the fence was taken down. “They’re walking calmly to interact with the individual who they know they want to arrest,” Doyle said of the video. “No officers are running or charging the crowd.”
On Saturday, Doyle said “maybe four” Ferguson police officers from 2014 are still employed at the agency. “This is a brand-new police department. I don’t know why the officers here, who weren’t even here in 2014, have to continue to suffer through this. It doesn’t make any sense,” he said.
Gantt, the suspect in the officer’s assault, faces five charges, including resisting arrest, first-degree property damage and two charges of fourth-degree assault, according to the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Authorities announced Tuesday Gantt faces an additional misdemeanor assault charge for kicking another officer in the head.
Gantt is being held on a $500,000 cash-only bond and must stay 1,500 feet away from the Ferguson Police Department, according to the prosecutor’s office. CNN has been unable to determine if Gantt has obtained legal representation.
Two other officers were injured Friday night, including one who suffered an ankle injury and another who had abrasions, according to the police chief.
A number of charges have been filed against another unnamed defendant, including felony property damage, attempting to disarm an officer, resisting arrest and misdemeanor assault.
That suspect apparently grabbed an officer’s service weapon, trying to pull it out of the holster, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said during Tuesday’s news conference. Bell said an investigation is ongoing and more charges could be filed if authorities find additional evidence of criminal conduct.
Other people arrested during the protests face charges of destruction of property at the police department and resisting arrest.
Bell said the situation “could have been a lot worse,” adding: “Officers don’t know who has what, and with a crowd like that, they don’t know who has weapons and what their intent is.”
“In no uncertain terms, where we are and where we go from here is an uncomfortable and tough conversation that we have to have, because now we have an officer who is fighting for his life, and I have to ask – for what?” Bell said.
CNN’s Sara Smart, Chelsea Bailey and Kara Devlin contributed to this report.
The Ferguson Police Department offered their support and prayers to officer Travis Brown, who is currently hospitalized due to the violent incident, expressing their concern as a united team.
Gantt's legal team reached out to us, requesting a meeting to discuss his side of the story regarding the assault on officer Brown. [Us]
