Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon is expected to relieve St. Louis County police of their duties in Ferguson, Mo., after another night of violence in the troubled, racially divided town.
Congressman Lacy Clay (D-Mo.) told Bloomberg News that Nixon will make that announcement Thursday.
"The gov. just called me and he's on his way to St. Louis now to announce he's taking St. Louis County police out of the situation," according to a tweet by Bloomberg News congressional reporter Derek Wallbank, quoting Clay.
It wasn't immediately clear which agency would replace the St. Louis County police in Ferguson.
A tense peace finally fell on the town Thursday morning after a fourth night of civil unrest sparked by the racially charged police shooting of an unarmed black teen.
The St. Louis County Police Department has been the primary force in Ferguson since a city cop shot and killed Michael Brown, 18, on Saturday.
Officers dodged Molotov cocktails, fired tear gas, rubber bullets and smoke bombs and arrested two journalists during mayhem late Wednesday and early Thursday.
Brown's killing Saturday has sparked outrage in the town, which is two-thirds black but is patrolled by a city police force that has just three African-American cops out of its 53 officers.
Ten people, including St. Louis Alderman Antonio French, Washington Post reporter Wesley Lowery and Huffington Post writer Ryan Reilly, were arrested late Wednesday.
The two journalists were handcuffed and briefly detained by police who said the reporters didn't clear out of a McDonald's, where they'd been working, fast enough.
A Los Angeles Times reporter said he called Ferguson police chief Tom Jackson to tell him about the journalists' arrest and the city's top cop responded: "Oh God."
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"I told them [police] to release them," Jackson said later.
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, citing the "worsening situation" in Ferguson, said he'd visit the area on Thursday.
The governor asked police and community members to "keep the peace and respect the rights of residents and the press."
Before the latest skirmishes broke out, Missouri state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal confronted chief Jackson during a press conference.
"I just wanted to know if I was going to be gassed again, like I was on Monday night," Chappelle-Nadal asked. "We couldn't get out, and we were peacefully sitting. I Just wanted to know if I'm going to be gassed again?"
Jackson answered: "I hope not."
Protesters said police unnecessarily reacted with excessive force late Wednesday night.
But St. Louis County police chief Jon Belmar defended officers' work in controlling the angry crowd, saying cops responded with "an incredible amount of restraint."
"It's pretty amazing how impressed I am and inspired by these officers," he said. "This is a very difficult circumstance."
The St. Louis County Police Department has taken over the investigation of the Ferguson shooting.
Scores of police from across Missouri donned riot gear and used military-style armored trucks to form a defense line outside the Ferguson Police Department headquarters where demonstrators had gathered.
Video: Washington Post reporter detained in Ferguson
Most of the crowd finally dispersed at about 2:15 a.m. local time, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Protesters raised their hands and chanted: "Hands up, don't shoot."
Dorian Johnson, a friend of Brown, has said the teen was shot to death while his hands were raised, telling an officer that he was unarmed.
A demonstrator quickly throws back a tear gas container after tactical officers try to break up a group of bystanders.Photo: AP
A police officer keeps watch over demonstrators protesting the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager.Photo: Getty Images
Johnson said he and Brown drew the ire of a cop because they were walking in the street and didn't heed orders to get back on the sidewalk.
City police chief Jackson pledged that improving race relations "the top priority right now," despite a growing outcry from Ferguson residents to release more information about Brown's killing.
The police have not released the name the officer who shot Brown or the number of shots he fired at the teen.
"We have the right to know, and the family has the right to know who murdered their son," said Sahari Gutierrez, a 27-year-old Ferguson legal assistant.
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch pleaded for patience and said his office needs more time to probe the officer's actions on Saturday.
"The timeline on this is there is no timeline," McCulloch said. "We will do this as expeditiously as possible. But we won't rush."
The prosecutor said he appreciates the public's demand for immediate action, but won't hurry the process.
"I know that's not the answer anybody wants to hear at this point," McCulloch said. "Everybody wants to know what happened."
The Rev. Al Sharpton said he called chief Belmar Thursday, and told him he believed police acted with "excessive force." Sharpton was in town earlier this week, meeting with Brown's family.
"I told Chief Belmar that I was outraged by what I have seen on TV since leaving Ferguson and that we must not have excessive force to deal with legitimate protest of excessive force," Sharpton said.
"We want to solve the problem, not create new ones. Even if we disagree this climate is not good for anyone and is dangerous for everyone."
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