FERGUSON, Missouri — Seven people were arrested but general calm remained in Ferguson, Missouri, Thursday as protests continued over the fatal police shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown nearly two weeks ago.
Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson, who is in charge of security in the St. Louis suburb, said early Friday that three of those arrested were from Detroit and the rest from the St. Louis area. One person was arrested for an outstanding warrant, one for driving through a police checkpoint and the rest for failure to disperse under orders, Johnson said. NBC News observed one person being taken into custody shortly after 10 p.m. (11 p.m. ET). It wasn't immediately clear why the person was arrested as there wasn't an obvious confrontation between protesters and police.
Thursday marked a second night of calm in the violence-weary St. Louis suburb, with a group of less than 100 protesters circling a block on West Florissant Avenue that have been a gathering point for demonstrations. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon ordered the National Guard to begin pulling out of Ferguson earlier Thursday, saying "the situation has greatly improved" as businesses began reopening 12 days after Brown was shot.
IN-DEPTH
- Gov. Nixon Orders National Guard to Withdraw from Ferguson
- Why Ferguson Police Never Filed 'Incident Report' After Michael Brown Shooting
- Officer Darren Wilson Was Taken to Hospital After Shooting Michael Brown
— Rick Brown and M. Alex Johnson
