CONTENT WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO
Two new, graphic videos have been released showing the moment a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer was brutally beaten by a suspect during a Michael Brown demonstration on Friday – an incident that left the officer in critical condition.
The protest took place just 10 days before the start of the Democratic National Convention (DNC), and among those arrested on Friday was Keith Rose, a DNC alternate delegate from St. Louis and a member of the City of St. Louis Civilian Oversight Board, which investigates allegations of police misconduct, Fox 2 reports. Rose has since resigned from his position as DNC alternate delegate.
“Keith Rose has decided to voluntarily step down from his candidacy as an uncommitted alternate delegate to the DNC,” the Missouri Democratic Party said in a statement.
The new videos, shot from two different angles, show Ferguson police officer Travis Brown apparently being beaten by suspect Elijah Gantt, 28, on a sidewalk outside a police station after protesters attempted to tear down a fence surrounding the station. Police say Brown is “fighting for his life” after being seriously injured in an attack during protests marking the 10th anniversary of the fatal shooting of Michael Brown.
FERGUSON POLICE OFFICERS FIGHT FOR HIS LIFE AFTER BEING INJURED DURING PROTEST TO MARK 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF MICHAEL BROWN SHOOTING
Charges are being filed against Ferguson police officer Travis Brown. (Ferguson Police Department)
The newly released video, taken from a security camera and another officer’s body camera, was shown at a press conference on Tuesday and shows that the suspect took a running start as he ran over the officer, whose head struck the pavement violently. Officer Brown was unconscious and lying on his back while the suspect lay on his chest when other officers quickly arrived and jumped on the suspect.
Brown, the father of twin daughters, suffered a severe brain injury after hitting his head in the fall.
“I think this is a clear indication that my officer was attacked and brutally beaten by this man,” Police Chief Troy Doyle said Tuesday. “If you watch the video, the officer is standing there waiting to catch the man. This man attacked my husband like he was a football player.”
Many of the roughly 150 people in attendance at the press conference – including at least three dozen police officers and mayors from several cities in the St. Louis area – gasped when they saw the footage.
Gantt, of East St. Louis, Illinois, already faces assault charges and is now facing a new assault charge for allegedly kicking another police officer in the head, St. Louis County District Attorney Wesley Bell said. Gantt is being held in jail on $500,000 cash bail.
Protesters were mostly peaceful Friday night and police allowed them to block streets in front of the station, Doyle told reporters. Police also did not intervene when protesters began shaking a fence outside the station.
But Doyle said that when protesters broke through the fence and destroyed property on police property, he sent out an arrest team that included Officer Brown, who is black.
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Ferguson police officer Travis Brown is in critical condition after hitting his head on the pavement during the attack. (Ferguson Police Department)
Rose, the DNC delegate, is accused of kicking in a metal gate outside the Ferguson Police Department during the protest and is now charged with first-degree criminal damage. He is free on $500 bail, FOX 2 reports.
His lawyer called the allegations false and said Rose was not involved in damaging the fence, the source said.
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. At the time, there were only three black officers in the department, but now black officers make up more than half of the force, Doyle said.
“He wanted to be part of the change,” Doyle said at a news conference over the weekend. “He wanted to make a difference in our community. He’s the kind of police officer we want in our community. And what happens? He gets attacked. I had to look his mother in the eyes and tell her what happened to her son. I will never do that again, I promise you.”
Brown’s family released a statement Wednesday praising first responders and thanking the public for the outpouring of support they have received, and asking for continued prayers for them.
“We hold on to hope and trust that the power of faith will get him through this difficult time,” the statement said.
“Travis is more than a police officer; he is a devoted father, son, brother, uncle, godfather and friend. He is 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 movie lover and so much more. We know he is determined to continue living his life to the fullest after his recovery.”
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Ferguson police officer Travis Brown on duty. (Ferguson Police Department)
The violence that resulted in Officer Brown’s injury sparked an angry response from Doyle and several people in Ferguson, a community of about 18,000 where about two-thirds of the residents are black. Many wondered what the protesters were so angry about given the changes in Ferguson over the past decade.
“Let’s recognize the good that has happened in our police department. Let’s recognize reform,” Doyle said Tuesday.
In 2014, the Ferguson Police Department had about 50 white officers and just three black officers. Today, 22 of the 41 officers are black, including Travis Brown. Officers are trained in crisis intervention to avoid bias. Doyle said he even changed the look of the uniforms after residents called the old look “provocative.”
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Police Chief Troy Doyle stands outside the Ferguson Police Station in Ferguson, Missouri, Friday, August 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Jim Salter)
Two other officers were also injured. One suffered an ankle injury and the other an abrasion. Both were treated at the scene.
The death of Michael Brown sparked mass demonstrations that helped solidify the Black Lives Matter movement in Ferguson, Missouri and across the country.
In 2015, the Justice Department declined to bring charges against Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot Michael Brown, but released a highly critical report pointing to racial bias in the Ferguson police and district courts.
The DNC did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Stephen Sorace of Fox News and the Associated Press contributed to this report
