A number of arrests were made inside The Galleria Saturday afternoon when protesters were marching in response to last week's Jason Stockley ruling.
Demonstrators first stood outside of the mall, in the area of The Cheesecake Factory. They then proceeded to move inside the mall to continue their peaceful protest. At some point, one of the demonstrators picked up and threw a garbage can towards the bottom of an escalator. Several protesters then began to block to the escalator in "an attempt to take over the second floor of the mall," according to police.
Mall management requested the protesters leave the mall. Richmond Heights Police ordered the crowd to disperse on three separate occasions with the assistance of St. Louis County Police. The majority of protesters obeyed orders, but the remainder of those who stayed behind were arrested.
According to St. Louis County Police, 22 arrests were made. One St. Louis County Police officer was taken to an area hospital for a back injury. Two protesters suffered minor scrapes while being taken into custody. Charges of those arrested will range from trespassing, rioting, resisting arrest and assault on a law enforcement officer.
Mildred Clines described the scene inside the mall when protesters and police clashed.
"Once [police] started running, [protesters] started running, provoking, kind of running and then the crowd reacted and started running."
Angelique Kidd said the way police responded was too aggressive.
"We don't want to be pepper sprayed. We don't want to have five men standing on us with their knees on our faces and our backs. All you got to do is walk up and say you are under arrest."
Amir Brandy said Saturday’s events is a microcosm of what being black in America is like.
"What they did was totally unnecessary. This is what we experience on a daily basis on traffic matters and what should be easy to fix.”
Mildred Clines said she expects the protests to last for about a year.
"Change doesn't happen overnight. It takes a while. We are committed."
This is a developing story.