Two new graphic videos were released showing the moment a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer was violently knocked over by a suspect during a Michael Brown protest on Friday – an incident that has left the officer in critical condition.
The protest came just 10 days before the start of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) and among those arrested Friday was Keith Rose, a St. Louis alternate delegate to the DNC and a member of the City of St. Louis’ Civilian Oversight Board which reviews allegations of police misconduct, Fox 2 reports. Rose has since withdrawn as an alternate DNC delegate.
“Keith Rose has decided to voluntarily withdraw as an uncommitted alternate delegate to the DNC,” the Missouri Democratic Party said in a statement.
The new videos, taken from two different angles, show Ferguson Police Officer Travis Brown apparently being hit by 28-year-old suspect Elijah Gantt on a sidewalk outside a police station after protesters attempted to pull down a perimeter fence. Police say Brown is “fighting for his life” after being critically injured in an assault during protests on the 10th anniversary of the fatal shooting of Michael Brown.
The newly released video, taken from CCTV and another police officer’s bodycam, was played at a news conference Tuesday and shows the suspect had a running start when he ran down the officer, whose head violently struck the pavement.
Officer Brown was unconscious and prone on his back with the suspect lying on his chest as other officers quickly arrived and jumped on the suspect.
Brown, who has twin young daughters, suffered a severe brain injury after hitting his head in the fall.
“I think it’s a clear indication that my officer was charged and was hit violently by this individual,” Police Chief Troy Doyle said Tuesday. “If you look at the video, the officer is standing up, waiting to catch this guy. This guy tackled my guy like he’s a football player.”
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 the footage.
Gantt, of East St. Louis, Illinois, was already charged with assault and is facing a new assault charge for allegedly kicking another officer in the head, St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell said. Gantt is jailed on a $500,000 cash-only bond.
Protesters were peaceful for most of Friday night and police allowed them to block streets outside the station, Doyle told reporters. Police also didn’t intervene when protesters began shaking a fence outside the station.
But Doyle said that when protesters broke the fence, destroying property on police grounds, he sent out an arrest team, which included Officer Brown, who is Black.
Rose, the DNC delegate, is accused of kicking in part a metal gate outside the Ferguson Police Department during the protest and is now charged with first-degree property damage. He’s free on a $500 bond, FOX 2 reports.
His attorney labeled the charges as bogus and said Rose was not involved in damaging the fence, according to the outlet.
Officer Brown started with the department in January and previously worked for the St. Louis County Police Department. He is part of a wave of Black officers hired into the department since 2014. Back then, there were just three Black officers in the department, but Black officers now make up more than half of the police force, Doyle said.
“He wanted to be part of the change,” Doyle said at a weekend press briefing. “He wanted to make an impact in our community. He’s the type of officer that we want in our community. And what happens? He gets assaulted. I had to look his mother in the eye and tell her what happened to her son. I’m never going to do that again, I promise you that.”
Brown’s family released a statement on Wednesday praising first responders and thanking the public for the outpouring of support they have received. They also asked for people’s continued prayers.
“We are holding onto hope and trusting in the power of faith to see him through this difficult time,” the statement reads, in part.
“Travis is more than a police officer; he is a devoted father, son, brother, uncle, godfather, and friend. A man of strong faith, his heart is as big as his smile, and his positive energy is truly contagious. TJ is also an athlete, an adventurer, a lover of movies, and so much more. We know he is determined to continue living life to the fullest once he has recovered.”
The violence that resulted in Officer 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 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 are trained in crisis intervention, avoiding bias, and Doyle said he even changed the look of uniforms after residents said the old look was “triggering.”
Two other officers also were hurt, one sustaining an ankle injury and another an abrasion. Both were treated at the scene.
Michael Brown’s death led to massive demonstrations that helped to solidify the Black Lives Matter movement in Ferguson, Missouri, and around the country.
In 2015, the Justice Department declined to charge Darren Wilson, the officer who shot Michael Brown, but released a highly critical report that noted racial bias in the Ferguson police department and the county courts.
The DNC did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News’ Stephen Sorace and the Associated Press contributed to this report
