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Small group turns violent in The Loop

Protesters first gathered in Kiener Plaza early Saturday afternoon, but soon headed towards the Delmar Loop as nightfall approached.
Demonstrators confront police while protesting the acquittal of former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley on September 16, 2017 in St. Louis, Missouri.

One day after 33 arrests were made during the demonstrations in downtown St. Louis and the Central West End, protests continued into Saturday in St. Louis.

Most of the day, protesters convened at different spots around the metro area, chanting in parks and in malls. Around 7 p.m. a large group gathered at the Delmar Loop. For a couple hours, the group remained peaceful, marching and chanting in the streets.

Demonstrators protesting the acquittal of former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley march through University City on September 16, 2017 in St. Louis, Missouri.

Among the crowd was Nick Cannon, former host of NBC's America's Got Talent. Cannon was wearing a Colin Kaepernick jersey, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who caused controversy for kneeling during the national anthem in 2016.

Radio and television personality Nick Cannon joins demonstrators protesting the acquittal of former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley on September 16, 2017 in St. Louis, Missouri.

Around 9 p.m., organizers announced to the crowd that they deemed the protest a success, citing zero arrests reported for the entirety of the day. The crowd dispersed shortly thereafter.

About an hour later, a smaller, separate crowd gathered at the intersection of Delmar Boulevard and Leland Avenue. A police line formed once the tension between demonstrators and police grew. One person reportedly threw red paint on the shield a University City Police Officer was holding.

A short time later, the St. Louis County and St. Louis Metropolitan Police Departments were called in to assist the University City Police, a press release from the St. Louis County Police Department said.

Demonstrators confront police while protesting the acquittal of former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley on September 16, 2017 in St. Louis, Missouri.

As protesters and police clashed, one of the windows in the nearby Starbucks was broken. Several other businesses and cars were also vandalized as police moved in on the crowd as the tops of trash cans were thrown at storefront windows. 5 On Your Side's Jacob Long tweeted, "Almost every storefront in the Loop is destroyed."

Workers clean up broken glass from a window smashed during a protest of the acquittal of former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley on September 16, 2017 in St. Louis, Missouri.

The University City Police Department said 23 businesses and five police vehicles were damaged by people throwing rocks, bricks, water bottles filled with paint thinner or gasoline and balloons filled with red liquid. They said no civilians or police officers were seriously injured.

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PHOTOS | Damaged storefronts in the Loop


Police announced the demonstration was no longer a lawful assembly and asked the protesters to disperse. Several arrests were made as the businesses were being targeted. A total of nine arrests were made, according to law enforcement officials.

The St. Louis County Police Department said they arrested seven people while assisting the University City Police Department. Police said the arrests included five adults and two juveniles.

St. Louis Metropolitan Police said they made two arrests for failure to disperse near the intersection of Skinker and Delmar Boulevards. A press release said both were adults.

Governor Eric Greitens made the following statement on his Facebook page early Sunday.

“Saturday night, some criminals decided to pick up rocks and break windows. They thought they’d get away with it. They were wrong. Our officers caught ‘em, cuffed ‘em, and threw ‘em in jail.

In the past, our leaders let people break windows, loot, start fires. They let them do it. Not this time. Tonight, the police arrested the vandals. At this moment, they’re all sitting in a jail cell. They’re gonna wake up and face felony charges.

These aren’t protestors, these are criminals.

Criminals, listen up: you break a window, you’re going to be behind bars. It’s that simple."

PHOTOS | Protests in St. Louis after Stockley decision

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