Any hopes for the National Guard to dispel rioters in Ferguson have been squashed, as Tuesday dawned with two shot and 31 arrested and more chaos in the streets mixed with tear gas and flash grenades.
The arrested hailed from as far away as New York and California, fueling speculation that most of the violence seen in the St. Louis streets in recent days came at the hands of outsiders.
Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson gave a quick press conference on Tuesday to update reporters — standing before a table that contained two handguns and a Molotov cocktail, police confiscations from the night before, he said, Fox News reported.
Capt. Johnson outright slammed the protesters who were arrested as “violent agitators,” Fox News said, and accused them of using the mostly peaceful protests as “cover” to commit criminal deeds.
He also said police didn’t fire any guns.
“[They] acted with restraint and calm despite pockets of disorder and coming under violent attack on several occasions,” Capt. Johnson said, CBS reported.
SEE ALSO: Obama appeals for calm from protesters, law enforcement in Ferguson, Missouri
Two small fires burned through the night, one in a store and the second in a vacant home, the station reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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