FERGUSON, Mo. – The Ferguson Police Department released body-worn camera video and surveillance footage showing a protester charging and knocking Officer Travis Brown to the ground during a fracas last Friday night outside the department headquarters.
At Tuesday’s news conference, Ferguson Mayor Ella Jones and St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell joined Police Chief Troy Doyle to share the videos with the public, announce new charges, and continue to offer support for Officer Brown and his family.
The protests and confrontation happened on the evening of Friday, August 9, in the 200 block of South Florissant Road, outside the police department.
Doyle and Bell both stressed that the day’s protests began peacefully. The department blocked off parts of the street earlier in the day so people could demonstrate and march to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the killing of Michael Brown Jr., which became part of a national push to reform policing and helped fuel the Black Lives Matter movement. Throughout the night, the peaceful protest became agitated as individuals began shaking a police station security gate late Friday evening.
In security footage released Tuesday, police said Elijah M. Gantt, the man charged with causing Officer Brown’s brain injury, can be seen with a bullhorn leading people to shake the gate and getting involved himself.
Just before 11:50 p.m., Officer Travis Brown was dispatched as part of an arrest team to detain protesters who broke the police station security gate.
Police played video from a security camera across the street, showing Gantt charging and knocking Officer Brown to the ground on the sidewalk. Brown had attempted to stand in front of Gantt to make an arrest.
Chief Doyle said some people had claimed Brown slipped and fell, and the video clearly disputes that.
“If you look at the video, (Brown) is standing up, waiting to catch this guy,” Doyle said. “(Gantt) tackled my guy like he’s a football player.”
Brown, 36, joined the St. Louis County Police Department in 2012 and was dispatched to Ferguson during the 2014 protests. He joined the Ferguson Police Department in January 2024.
During the news conference, county prosecutor Bell announced a new charge—fourth-degree assault—against Gantt for kicking another officer in the head during his arrest. Gantt is being held on a half-million-dollar bond. Other protesters, some of whom are already in custody, are facing additional charges, including one person who tried to grab an officer’s gun while Gantt was being arrested.
“You cannot interfere with a lawful arrest. But for the restraint and discipline of these officers, this situation could have been a lot worse,” Bell said. “In a situation like this, there are no metal detectors. Officers don’t know who has what. With a crowd like that, they don’t know who has weapons or what their intent is.”
A prayer vigil for Officer Brown was announced for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday outside the Ferguson Police Department.
This is a developing story and is being updated. Please refresh this story as new details and information are added.
