Ferguson police on Tuesday released officer-worn body camera footage showing a protester knocking a Black police officer to the ground on the 10th anniversary of Michael Brown’s death, leaving the Missouri officer with a life-threatening brain injury.
Police Chief Troy Doyle, speaking at a news conference, said the body camera footage shows that the suspect, 28-year-old Elijah Gantt of East St. Louis, Illinois, had charged at Officer Travis Brown on a sidewalk outside the police station after protesters attempted to pull down a perimeter fence.
Video played at the news conference from two different angles shows that a man, identified by Doyle as Gantt, had a running start and flattened the officer, whose head violently struck the pavement. Officer Brown was unconscious and prone on his back with the suspect lying on this chest as other officers quickly arrived and jumped on the suspect.
Many of the 150 or so people at the news conference — including at least three dozen police officers and mayors from several St. Louis-area cities — gasped when they saw it.
“If you look at the video, the officer is standing up, waiting to catch this guy,” Doyle said. “This guy tackled my guy like he’s a football player.”
Police said the injured officer remained in critical condition. A prayer vigil was planned Tuesday evening outside the police station.
“If you haven’t condemned this act, if you haven’t condemned what happened to my officer, then you are part of the problem,” Doyle told protest leaders.
None of the video shown at the news conference was from Officer Brown's body camera. Doyle said police also had footage from surveillance cameras from businesses in the area.
Gantt, who was already charged with assault, faced a new assault charge for allegedly kicking another officer in the head, St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell said.
Another defendant was charged with property damage for damaging the fence, as well as assault, he said. Three others were charged with various other crimes. Bell said restraint by the police kept the situation from being worse and that police “did a tremendous job” of allowing protests that were originally peaceful.
“Now we have an officer who is fighting for his life and I have to ask: For what?” Bell said.
Ferguson became synonymous with the national Black Lives Matter movement after Michael Brown, a Black 18-year-old, was killed by Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson Aug. 9, 2014, in the St. Louis suburb. Travis Brown is not related to Michael Brown.
Three separate investigations found no grounds to prosecute Wilson, who resigned in November 2014. But Michael Brown’s death led to months of often violent protests. It also spurred a U.S. Department of Justice investigation that required anti-discrimination changes to Ferguson policing and the courts.
Bell said during Tuesday's news conference that if protesters were still angry that Wilson wasn’t charged, they need to understand that isn’t going to happen unless new evidence emerges.
Travis Brown, 36, is the son of a retired St. Louis city police officer and the father of two young daughters. Soon after graduating from college, he joined the St. Louis County Police Department, in 2012. He joined the Ferguson police force in January.
A former supervisor for the St. Louis County department, Lt. Ray Rice, said Travis Brown became a police officer to make a difference.
“Everybody says, ‘Where are all of the good police officers?’” Rice said. “Travis is one of those people.”
Gantt is charged with assault of a special victim, resisting arrest and property damage. A judge on Monday set a bond hearing for Aug. 19 and a preliminary hearing for Sept. 11. Gantt is jailed on a $500,000 cash-only bond. He does not yet have an attorney.
The violence that resulted in Travis Brown’s injury drew an angry response from Doyle and from several people in Ferguson, a community of about 18,000 where roughly two-thirds of residents are Black. Many wondered what protesters were so angry about given the changes in Ferguson over the past decade.
“Let’s recognize the good that has taken place in our police department. Let’s recognize the reform," Doyle said at the news conference on Tuesday.
In 2014, the Ferguson department had around 50 white officers and only three Black officers. Today, 22 of the 41 officers are Black, including Travis Brown.
Officers today also undergo frequent training on crisis intervention, avoiding bias and other areas. Officers now also wear body cameras. Doyle even changed the look of uniforms, patches and badges after residents said the old look was “triggering.”
“We stand here today in solidarity with our police department, our police chief,” Ferguson Mayor Ella Jones said. “Ferguson has made a lot of strides, and this one act is not going to stop us from moving forward.”
