Seriously injured Mo. Police officer on his way to rehabilitation hospital

ST. LOUIS — A Ferguson police officer injured during a protest months ago will be transferred to an out-of-state rehabilitation hospital Tuesday.

Officer Travis “TJ” Brown will be taken from St. Louis University Hospital to Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield just before noon, Ferguson police spokeswoman Patricia Washington said.

Washington said Brown will be accompanied by officers from across the region.

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She said she could not provide an update on Brown’s condition, but said that “according to his family, he has made remarkable progress.”

Brown was injured on August 9 when a protester fleeing police encountered him during a rally on the 10th anniversary of Michael Brown’s death outside the Ferguson Police Department.

Surveillance video and body camera footage showed Brown being knocked to the ground by 28-year-old Elijah Gantt as he sprinted straight toward the officer.

Brown hit his head and suffered serious brain injuries. In the following months he did not regain consciousness. His family said on October 7 that his condition was stable and being closely monitored as doctors began weaning him off the anesthetic.

It was unclear Monday whether Brown was still unconscious.

Gantt, the protester, was arrested that night and remains in jail on a $500,000 bond — a bond that his attorney Ryan Krupp said was unusually high for the charges.

He is charged with two counts of first-degree assault, resisting arrest, damage to property and fourth-degree assault on a special victim.

Gantt has had few court appearances since his arrest. A well-attended hearing on the bond reduction was scheduled for August 19, but his previous attorney waived that hearing after speaking with Gantt in court.

Krupp used a status hearing last month to schedule a Dec. 12 hearing on the bond reduction.

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