Protester accused of attacking St. Louis City employees outside of City Hall charged, officials say
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St. Louis, MO (KMOV) — An arrest has been made after two St. Louis City employees were attacked outside of City Hall while attempting to tow vehicles parked illegally overnight.
Daundre Fitzpatrick, 20, was arrested Monday in connection to the assault. He was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and two charges of assault.
According to police, around 3:15 a.m. Thursday, two 47-year-old men were at 13th and Chestnut to tow vehicles parked in a no parking zone when they were overtaken by protesters who climbed onto the tow trucks and laid down in the street in front of them.
One of the workers was hit twice in the face with an assault rifle and the other was punched in the back of the head allegedly by Fitzpatrick, said Public Safety Director Judge Jimmie Edwards.
Fitzpatrick and another man ran from the area following the incident.
A spokesperson for the protesters said she was there but never saw anyone get assaulted. Sarah Watkins said the situation had been de-escalated and the tow truck drivers were going to give protesters time to move their cars, until two other city workers arrived.
“I did see city officials, the city employees getting aggressive with all the protesters, yelling at us, cursing at us. And really we were just trying to plead our case and explain to them why we were here,” said Watkins.
In a tweet Thursday morning, Mayor Lyda Krewson said those responsible for the attack will be arrested and held accountable.
In a statement, Judge Edwards said he has had several amicable conversations with various protest group leaders recently. He also said the people responsible for the overnight attack must be held accountable and are not peaceful.
The attack happened as protesters camped outside of City Hall overnight calling for the resignation of Mayor Krewson.
The crowd gathered again Thursday afternoon with roughly 50 people sitting on the front steps of City Hall and camping out in tents on the lawn. They have chairs, tents, a couch and a cabinet.
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