About 1,000 protesters surrounded the home of St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson late Friday, breaking at least two windows and throwing red paint at the brick house before some 200 police in riot gear moved in to break it up.
There was no indication on the scene that Krewson was in the home at the time.
A total of nine police officers had been reported injured as of 9 p.m., including one officer with a dislocated shoulder and an officer with a possible broken jaw, Acting Police Chief Lawrence O’Toole said shortly after midnight Saturday, appearing with Krewson in a video. A Highway Patrol trooper was also reported injured.
Two of the city police officers were injured by thrown bricks, police said. They were taken to a hospital, with one officer’s injuries described as “serious.” A third officer was hurt but declined treatment.
Police spokeswoman Schron Jackson said early Saturday that police arrested 32 people Friday. She did not have more details, but said the names of those arrested and the charges they face “are forthcoming.”
Mostly peaceful protests following the not-guilty verdict in the murder trial of former police Officer Jason Stockley turned into unrest after dark, as police officers responded to several locations throughout the Central West End of St. Louis.
St. Louis Circuit Judge Timothy Wilson found 36-year-old Jason Stockley not guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action. On Dec. 20, 2011, the then-police officer shot 24-year-old Lamar Smith five times after a high-speed chase and crash.
A video shows a police in which Stockley was chasing Smith and can be heard saying, “I’m going to kill this m**********r. Don’t you know that?”, just minutes before he shot and killed Smith.
After the large group of protesters was able to march unimpeded to Krewson’s home, gather on the lawn and knock on the door — a process that took some 30 minutes — the first police finally arrived and began pushing them back, firing canisters of tear gas.
According to media reports, there have been at least 32 arrests.
