Man charged with assaulting Ferguson cop at Michael Brown anniversary protest identified, 4 others in custody

A man has been charged for the suspected assault of Ferguson police officer Travis Brown after a protest outside the Ferguson police station in Missouri turned violent on Friday night. Four other protesters were arrested during the protest. 

According to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Elijah Gantt, 28, of East St. Louis, has been charged with two counts of fourth-degree assault, first-degree assault, as well as property damage. He is being held on a $500,000 cash-only bond.


Source: St. Louis Prosecutor — Elijah Gantt

Gantt has been accused of knocking over Officer Brown, causing him to fall and hit his head on the pavement. Brown is currently hospitalized with a severe brain injury, according to police. The other four arrested were Emily R. Davis, Phillip H. March, Keith W. Rose, and Derrick Robinson, per KFVS 12. Davis has been charged with third-degree assault as well as resisting arrest. Rose, March, and Robinson were arrested and all charged for first-degree property damage.

Davis, Rose, Robinson and March all have to stay away from the victims of the criminal activity after they post bond. Davis is being held at a $5,000 bond, but the other three have bonds of $500.

According to charging documents reviewed by the Dispatch, Officer Brown was attempting to arrest Gantt for property damage when Gantt pushed him down, causing the officer to hit his head. He was then admitted to the hospital with a brain injury afterwards.

Ferguson officer Scott Amos said in charging documents that Gantt had been "pulling on the gate, in a strong jerking manner" when Officer Brown went over to arrest him. Gantt ran away from the scene, hiding behind a car, and shortly thereafter Brown attempted to block the suspect from getting away.

"I then later observed the defendant run into (Brown) without stopping or attempting to change his direction, knocking (Brown) over, and causing (Brown) to strike his head on the ground," Amos wrote.

Prior to being arrested, Gantt had told the Dispatch, “It only takes one person to touch other people when you believe in something big."