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FERGUSON — Police here released video footage Tuesday showing the collision between a protester and an officer last weekend that sent the officer crashing to the ground, seriously injuring him.

Ferguson police Chief Troy Doyle showed multiple videos depicting the moments leading up to the impact, as protesters outside the Ferguson Police Department on Friday night aggressively shook the fence around the station, then scattered as officers arrived to arrest them.

The critical moment came as protester Elijah Gantt ran around a car and into Officer Travis Brown, who had stopped to try to catch him.

Gantt hit Brown squarely, and the two fell, Gantt on top of Brown, the video showed.

“He tackled my guy like he was a football player,� Doyle said at a news conference on Tuesday.

Brown fell and hit his head, suffering a severe brain injury and leaving him “fighting for his life,� Doyle said.

On Tuesday, the chief said Brown is “pretty much the same, he’s still in serious critical condition.�

Brown has been with the Ferguson department since January and previously was with ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ County police for more than 10 years, Ferguson police spokesperson Pat Washington said.

The incident happened Friday night. About 40 people had gathered on the 10th anniversary of the police shooting of Michael Brown, which started as a reunion in front of the police headquarters.

Traffic was diverted to make room as they drank beer, ate food and filled the street. Many there had protested 10 years ago on the same street, South Florissant Road.

The gathering remained peaceful until around 11 p.m., Doyle said.

The chief on Saturday said that throughout Friday night, the protesters were shaking a fence outside the police station, and only when people began damaging the fence did he send out an arrest team.

Police said when Brown went to arrest Gantt, 28, for damaging the fence, Gantt shoved the officer with his shoulder, and Brown fell to the ground.

Gantt was charged with two counts of fourth-degree assault on a special victim, resisting arrest, first-degree assault and property damage. He remained in custody Tuesday on a $500,000 cash-only bond.

Dora Gantt, his mother, said her son is a youth minister who works closely with Bishop Derrick Robinson, one of four others also charged after Friday night’s protest.

ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ resident Emily Davis was charged with third-degree assault on a special victim and resisting or interfering with an arrest.

Keith Rose of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½, a member of the city’s police Civilian Oversight Board, and ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ resident Phillip March were also charged with first-degree property damage.

On Tuesday, Chief Doyle showed footage from multiple cameras. In one, Gantt was seen shaking the fence and then, moments later, wiping the fence poles clean with the sleeves of his sweatshirt. Police said he was erasing fingerprints.

Rose and Robinson can also be seen at the fence.

The clearest view of the encounter between Brown and Gantt came from a surveillance camera from a business across the street from the police department. Gantt can be seen running through the business’ parking lot. Brown then comes around a white car and stops on the sidewalk to catch Gantt.

But Gantt runs directly at Brown and hits him hard. Several officers then rush to Gantt and Brown, pull the protester off the officer and work to arrest him.

As a video played Tuesday, dozens of officers and other public leaders who attended the news conference gasped as they watched Gantt run into Brown.

Later, when asked about some who described Gantt and Brown’s run-in as an accidental collision, Doyle took a moment to collect himself before terming it a football tackle.

“Just that question alone bothers me because it wasn’t two people colliding,� Doyle said. “I mean, if you look at the video, the officer is standing there, waiting to try to catch this guy. There wasn’t a collision. He’s just standing there.�

ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell also spoke at Tuesday’s news conference. He announced that more people were being charged with property damage and resisting arrest. He also said that Gantt will face another fourth-degree assault charge, saying he kicked another officer in the head.

Bell said another man was charged with first-degree property damage, attempting to disarm an officer, resisting arrest and fourth-degree assault. Bell said the man pulled on the gate in front of the police department, breaking it. Soon after, he tried to pull a gun out of an officer’s holster as police arrested Gantt. Bell did not release the man’s name.

Three other unidentified people face additional charges: one for destruction of property in the police department, another for resisting arrest and fourth-degree assault, and another for first-degree property damage.

Bell said those cases were still pending and there would be more information about them “soon enough.�

“But for the strength and discipline of these officers, the situation could have been a lot worse,� Bell said, noting that in situations like that officers do not know who in the crowd is armed.

The prosecuting attorney also cautioned the community to be clear on what their goals were — reiterating that his office and the Department of Justice found no evidence to charge former Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson with Michael Brown’s 2014 death.

“And absent new evidence or evidence unbeknownst to us, there is no dispute,� Bell said. “This is not an intellectual debate. There is no evidence to move forward on any type of prosecution in that case. So if that’s the goal with respect to that case, then this movement ends.�

Damage to the police fence was estimated at $3,000, Doyle said, based on a repairman’s assessment.

The chief also highlighted the department’s recent track records, saying his officers handled 30,000 calls in 2023.

“And we had less than 1% use of force incidents,� he said. “Don’t you think that’s just remarkable? That shows you that the police aren’t just out here beating everybody up as the rhetoric (makes it) seem.�

After Doyle finished his remarks, dozens of people applauded.

Then, Ferguson Mayor Ella Jones spoke. She lauded Ferguson’s progress and said this one incident would not stop them from continuing to improve the community.

Since Doyle has taken over the department, agency staffing levels have increased from 49% to 76%. Many of those hired, she said, were female officers.

Several women in Ferguson police uniforms sat in the front row of officers on stage during the event.

“This one act is not going to stop Ferguson,� the mayor said. “We are resilient. And we know how to bounce back.�