Police in Ferguson, Missouri, on Tuesday released body camera and surveillance footage of a man lunging at an officer, knocking the officer to the ground and striking him in the head, causing serious injuries.
The incident occurred Friday night during demonstrations marking the 10th anniversary of the shooting of Michael Brown, one of the nationally prominent incidents that sparked the Black Lives Matter movement.
Police Chief Troy Doyle said at a press conference on Tuesday that the video shows suspect Elijah Gant, 28, of East St. Louis, Illinois, charging toward Officer Travis Brown, who was attempting to arrest protesters who had torn down part of a fence near the police station.
Police said Officer Brown was knocked to the ground and suffered serious head injuries.
It was unclear as of Tuesday night whether Gant had hired an attorney, and a call to the local public defender’s office was not immediately returned.
A still image from a surveillance camera shows a protester charging toward Police Officer Travis Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Ferguson Missouri Police Department, via YouTube
The protesters had gathered near the police station to remember Michael Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old who was killed 10 years ago by white police officer Darren Wilson. The boy’s death has led to more than a week of protests and civil unrest.
Video footage from two different angles played at Tuesday’s press conference showed the man running, knocking Brown down and causing his head to hit the pavement hard.
“If you watch the video, you see an officer standing there waiting to grab this guy. It’s not a confrontation. He’s standing there. This guy tackles my guy like he’s a football player. It’s … ridiculous,” Doyle said.
Police said Brown was unconscious and lying on his back as other officers rushed to the scene and tackled the suspect, who was lying on Brown’s chest.
“If you don’t condemn this behavior, if you don’t condemn what happened to my officers, then you’re part of the problem,” the police chief said.
At a press conference after the officer was injured, Doyle said that since 2014, community members have treated Ferguson police like a “punching bag.”
He said the police department has responded to activists’ demands by equipping officers with body cameras and providing implicit bias and crisis intervention training, and he noted that the officer involved in Michael Brown’s death is no longer with the department.
Doyle said Brown is the type of officer Ferguson needs.
“He wanted to be a part of change,” Doyle said. “He wanted to make an impact in our community. He’s the type of officer we want in our community. And what happened? He got assaulted.”
Gant, who was already charged with assault, was also charged with fourth-degree assault, a misdemeanor, for allegedly kicking another officer in the head, St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell said.
Another defendant was charged with criminal damage to property for damaging a fence, Bell said. The others were charged with a variety of offences including resisting arrest, assault and criminal damage to property.
