Police officers stand on alert as a peaceful protest escalates between police and protesters along a street in Ferguson, Missouri AFP
AFP/ Ferguson
Police said Wednesday they had arrested 47 people during a night of protests in Ferguson, the Missouri town rocked by violence over the police shooting of an unarmed black teenager.
Captain Ron Johnson of the Missouri Highway Patrol said protesters threw bottles of water and urine at police towards the end of Tuesday night's protest, prompting officers to intervene after an otherwise peaceful night.
"As of 1:00 am we have 47 arrests," he told a press conference, adding that police had also seized three guns from demonstrators.
Johnson stressed that unlike a protest Monday night, protesters did not fire guns at police and police refrained from using tear gas to break up the rally.
"Tonight we saw a different dynamic," he said.
US top cop to visit Ferguson
The top US law enforcement official will visit Wednesday the Missouri town where a white policeman killed a black teen, sparking days of often violent protests and nationwide debate on how officers treat minorities.
Attorney General Eric Holder, who is himself black, will oversee the federal response to the August 9 killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, a day after the latest protest proceeded largely peacefully but ultimately degenerated as tension rose and police made 47 arrests.
Holder is to visit the St. Louis suburb amid an ongoing federal investigation into possible civil rights violations in Brown's shooting death.
Also Wednesday a grand jury will begin hearing witnesses to Brown's killing, with widespread calls for the police officer, Darren Wilson, to be put on trial for murder.
