Videos of Michael Brown protest show Ferguson, Missouri, officer being 'tackled'

Ferguson police released footage Tuesday of a man knocking over a police officer during protests that marked the 10th anniversary of the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, an incident the city's police chief said left the officer with a severe brain injury.

Videos show a man identified as 28-year-old Elijah Gantt running towards Officer Travis Brown on the sidewalk outside the police station and knocking him to the ground, according to Police Chief Troy Doyle. The alleged assault occurred as Brown and other officers with the department were attempting to make arrests after protesters damaged a fence outside the station. Travis Brown and Michael Brown are not related, according to the AP.

"This guy tackled my guy like he’s a football player," Doyle said at a news conference.

The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office initially charged Gantt with first-degree assault, resisting arrest, property damage and two counts of fourth-degree assault. St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell announced Tuesday Gantt is facing an additional fourth-degree assault charge on allegations he kicked another officer in the head.

Police said protesters injured two additional officers during the demonstration, leaving one with an ankle injury and another with abrasions. Bell said prosecutors on Tuesday charged four other people with various crimes on the day of the protest, including property damage, attempting to disarm an officer, resisting arrest and fourth-degree assault.

"As we said before, we respect everyone's First Amendment rights if you have a right to peacefully protest, but when you cross the line of harming folks or in damaging property, (you're) going to be held accountable," Bell said.

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Hundreds of supporters gathered in the police department parking lot Tuesday evening to pray for Brown's recovery, local media reported. Doyle, the police chief, placed Brown's vest on top of a squad car during the emotional gathering, video of the vigil shows from KSDK shows.

Brown, the officer who suffered brain damage, remained in critical condition Wednesday, Patricia Washington, a public information officer for the Ferguson Police Department, told USA TODAY. A friend of Brown, or "TJ" as he is known, launched a GoFundMe Tuesday to help cover his medical expenses.

"This is no longer ground zero. This is the ground of hope," Ferguson Mayor Ella Jones told the crowd.

Ferguson is 'a brand-new department' after Brown's killing

The demonstrations Friday night were to protest, once again, the police killing of Michael Brown in 2014. Former Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson's killing of the unarmed Black teenager propelled Black Lives Matter (triggered by the 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin) into a national movement. Wilson was never charged with a crime, and the public outcry over Brown's killing and a federal consent decree between the Justice Department and the city led to a complete overhaul of the department.

Bell questioned the goal of the protests Tuesday and stressed that there is no possibility for prosecution over Brown's death.

"As was mentioned ... at earlier points in these protests, if the goal is about the case that happened 10 years ago let me be clear, there is no dispute on whether or not charges can be filed," he said. They cannot, he said.

The Ferguson demonstration took place amid renewed outrage over police overreach following the killing of Sonya Massey in nearby Springfield, Illinois, about 100 miles north of Brown's hometown. The 36-year-old unarmed Black woman was killed in her kitchen by a sheriff’s deputy after calling 911 for help. That official is now facing criminal charges and the sheriff overseeing the department offered to retire under pressure from the public that he be removed from office.

Doyle touted the changes his department has undertaken in the past decade, touting it as "a brand-new department."

Ferguson police, which had just a handful of Black officers in 2014, is now over 50% Black and 23% female, said Doyle, who is Black. More than 90% of the current officers joined the department after 2014.

The department also began using body-worn cameras and mandated implicit bias training and crisis intervention training and even changed its uniforms, which some viewed as upsetting reminders of their traumatic experiences during the months-long protests following Michael Brown's death. Only 1% of over 30,000 calls for police last year resulted in the use of force, Doyle said Tuesday, explaining how the department has changed.

Doyle said that given all that has changed, it's important for people to address the reality of 2024 and the grave harm to a Ferguson officer.

"If you haven't condemned this act or condemned what happened to my officer, then you are part of the problem," Doyle said.