St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said that plainclothes officers were tracking the man at around 11:15 pm, while several hundred people gathered on West Florissant Street to take part in the protest.
Ferguson was put under a state of emergency yet again today after commemorations of the anniversary of Michael Brown being shot dead by a police officer descended into violence.
St Louis County executive Steve Stenger declared a state of emergency following the renewed violence in Ferguson.
Stenger said in a statement that his decision was because of the ‘criminal unrest’ and ‘attacks on businesses and law enforcement’ that had put public safety at risk.
One teenager is in a critical condition in the hospital after being shot by officers after he allegedly opened fire on an unmarked police SUV. And a store in West Florissant, Ferguson, was looted by youths
The measure means that St Louis County will now take over the policing of the protests from the Ferguson Police Department. It puts the St Louis suburb back in the same position it was in in November when Missouri governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency ahead of the grand jury decision not to indict former Ferguson officer Daren Wilson, who shot Brown.
In a statement Stenger said: ‘The recent acts of violence will not be tolerated in a community that has worked so tirelessly over the last year to rebuild and become stronger.
‘The time and investment in Ferguson and [the neighboring city of] Dellwood will not be destroyed by a few that wish to violate the rights of others.’
Source: Friend of Michael Brown in ‘critical condition’ after police shooting
