A news release from The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department says that 123 were arrested Sunday night – the third consecutive night of protests in response to the acquittal of former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley, who was charged with first-degree murder in the 2011 shooting death of Anthony Lamar Smith.
“Yesterday, officers made 123 arrests in various locations during demonstrations in St. Louis,” The St. Louis Police Department said in a statement. “Many of the demonstrators were peaceful, however after dark, the agitators outnumbered the peaceful demonstrators and the unruly crowd became a mob.”
The statement also said that multiple businesses also sustained property damage and one bike officer suffered a serious injury after falling.
“The majority of those arrested came after organized protests ended over the weekend, when people broke windows of businesses and at Mayor Lyda Krewson’s house,” a report from St. Louis Public Radio said. “The last group of people arrested Sunday were closed in on by police and a chemical agent was sprayed on them as they sat on the ground, a livestream showed.”
According to St. Louis Public Radio, St. Louis Interim Police Chief Larry O’Toole said in a news conference early Monday morning that police are “in control” and “owned the night.” Mayor Lyda Krewson said that “destruction cannot be tolerated.”
Information from St. Louis Public Radio contributed to this report.
