Ferguson Chief Apologizes, Protest Calls For His Resignation

Police in Ferguson, Mo., arrested a number of protesters late Thursday night after a scuffle broke out while Police Chief Tom Jackson was walking with the crowd,KMOV.com reported.

According to CNN, Jackson was about to make a statement around 11 p.m. when a scuffle broke out behind him.

#Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson talks to protesters in front of PD. pic.twitter.com/xZbCgF3suS

— Robert Cohen (@kodacohen) September 26, 2014

Officers responded by pushing demonstrators back across the street and making arrests:

Earlier in the day, Jackson released a video in which he apologized for the way theMichael Brown case, and ensuing protests, had been handled. “The right of the people to peacefully assemble is what the police are here to protect. If anyone who was peacefully exercising that right is upset and angry, I feel responsible and I’m sorry,” Jackson stated. Despite this effort, protesters gathered in downtown Ferguson called for Jackson’s resignation.

Protesters call for the resignation of #Ferguson police chief at the police department. pic.twitter.com/WeG2bVsoqj

— Robert Cohen (@kodacohen) September 26, 2014

Tensions rise outside Ferguson Police Dept. pic.twitter.com/YFxEOozpwy — Tony Chambers (@tonychambers) September 26, 2014

The exact number of protesters who were arrested was not released.

Brown, 18, was shot and killed by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9. The case is currently before a grand jury in St. Louis County, and under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Since the shooting, the mostly black community has seen weeks of racially charged protests and bursts of violence. Demonstrators have vowed to continue protestinguntil Wilson is arrested and charged in Brown’s death, Reuters reported.

Apology of Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson