| Advertisement |
FERGUSON, Mo., Nov. 25 (UPI) -- St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said early Tuesday morning that 29 people had been arrested overnight in Ferguson, Mo., where protests erupted over a grand jury's decision in the Michael Brown case. "What I've seen tonight is probably much worse than the worst night we ever had in August, and that's truly unfortunate," Belmar told reporters during a press conference just after 1:30 a.m.
Advertisement
Belmar claimed that police hadn't fired a single shot in the aftermath of the grand jury's Monday's decision not to indict police officer Darren Wilson, who shot and killed 18-year-old Brown during a confrontation last August.
He also said that Ferguson had endured a night of violence and looting, in which about a dozen local buildings burned and protesters met with police in riot gear.
"I didn't see a lot of peaceful protest tonight and I'm disappointed about that," Belmar said.
St. Louis County Police posted photos of burning cars and a seized weapon on Facebook.
Bricks thrown at police, 2 police cars burned, gun seized by police. Tonight was disappointing. #FergusonDecision pic.twitter.com/UsYlrWwnem
Advertisement— St. Louis County PD (@stlcountypd) November 25, 2014"What we saw tonight was much worse than what we saw any night in August," the post read, echoing Belmar's statements in the press conference.
Local station KTVI reported Monday night that police used tear gas on protesters in the South Grand business district.
Area hospitals reported 13 injuries, including two gunshot wounds, by about 1:30 a.m.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson said that the "community is really fractured."
He urged protesters "to take some responsibility for what happened tonight in terms of tearing our community apart."
