On the second day of his trial, Elijah Gantt changed course and pleaded guilty to two counts, second-degree assault and resisting arrest.
On August 8th of 2024, the ten year anniversary of the killing of Michael Brown, protests outside the Ferguson police department turned violent when individuals gathered outside began attacking the gate. Gantt, one of the protesters seen at the fence in a red hoodie, began to flee when responding officers began to make arrests. During his pursuit, Gantt was running towards officer Travis"TJ" Brown, lowing his shoulder into him, knocking him to the concrete and causing Brown to hit his head and suffer traumatic brain injuries.
The incident was captured on the body camera of officer Brown along with his colleagues and surveillance footage from one of the businesses in the parking lot where the collision took place.
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's office will in return drop the attempted escape from custody and property damage counts. Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Price Smith said the guilty plea in exchange for the dropping of the lesser charges received the blessing of Officer Brown.
"Every decision, every step in this case has been with the agreement or at the behest of Officer Brown and his family," says Price Smith. "They were in complete agreement and it was Officer Brown's decision to move forward."
Price Smith says her office was happy to receive the call about Gantt's decision to plead guilty Wednesday night after the first day of trial, where he and the jury were shown the video footage of Gantt running into Brown.
Brown needed to be picked up and carried from the scene by a number of his fellow officers to a vehicle to transport him to the hospital. He spent months unconscious suffering from a severe traumatic brain injury, followed by several more months recovering in out of state facilities. Brown and his family were in attendance for the trial.
Elijah Gantt mugshot
Ferguson Police Department
Gantt's guilty plea is a blind plea, which means there was no deal in place for how long he will serve, which will now be determined by Judge Mary Elizabeth Ott.
Price Smith says they will ask for a maximum sentence.
"Our office's recommendation is 15 years on the [second-degree assault] count, consecutive to four years on the [resisting arrest] count, for a total of 19 years."
The second-degree assault count carries a minimum of five years while the resisting arrest charge carries a minimum of one year.
In a statement, Ferguson Police Chief Troy Doyle says "No one won today. A man admitted his wrongdoing, and I have an officer who will probably never be a police officer again. A guilty plea does not give Officer Brown his career back. It does not give this city that night back. All it does is put the truth on the record."
Gantt will be sentenced on November 20th.
