Tear gas, riot gear return on ninth night of Ferguson protests

On Sunday, August 17, the ninth night of protests and the second night of a mandatory curfew imposed by Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, protests in Ferguson again turned chaotic and violent. Police fired tear gas into a crowd of protesters, hitting at least one child, according to reporters at the scene.

Missouri Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson, who’s in charge of security at the Ferguson protests, said at a press conference that police actions were prompted by violent acts, including shootings, hurled Molotov cocktails, and vandalism of various businesses, before the curfew went into effect. Johnson said police had to call in additional support to deal with the escalating situation.

Three people were injured and seven or eight were arrested throughout the night, according to police reports. No officers were injured.

“We are planning additional steps to calm the violence,” Johnson said. He would not elaborate on what those additional steps will look like.

— St. Louis County Police Department tweeted a warning shortly before the tear gas began.

— And then police in riot gear moved in, ordering everyone to go home well before the 12 a.m. curfew.

— Some protesters had to be treated for tear gas burns.

— Some reporters pointed out the situation is total chaos.

— A later report of gunshots — around 10:30 p.m. local time — were later clarified by police to be fireworks.

— Some reporters said they were briefly arrested by Missouri Highway Patrol Captain Johnson, who’s in charge of security in Ferguson.

— Reporters pointed out that it’s very difficult to report what’s going on, because police are threatening journalists and pushing them into specific areas.