UPDATE | 13 arrests, 4 injuries to officers in St. Louis protests

ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis police say they have made 13 arrests and that four officers have been injured in protests after the not-guilty verdict of a former white police officer charged with murder in the death of a black suspect.

St. Louis interim police Chief Lawrence O'Toole told reporters none of the officers injured today were hospitalized. One had an injured hand, one was hit by a bike, one was pinned by a bike, and one was struck by a water bottle.

Police spokeswoman Schron Jackson said she didn't know if protesters were injured but she was not aware of any reports of demonstrators being hospitalized.

Both O'Toole and Mayor Lyda Krewson said they were proud of police for showing restraint.

Hundreds of protesters are marching through city streets after a judge acquitted former St. Louis officer Jason Stockley.

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2:45 p.m.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Dozens of protesters are facing off with police in riot gear in downtown St. Louis after blocking a bus filled with officers.

The protests come after a judge announced today that Jason Stockley was not guilty of first-degree murder in the 2011 death of 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith.

Hundreds of protesters are marching through city streets.

A smaller group stood in front of a city bus filled with officers in riot gear, blocking it from moving forward. The bus backed up and protesters again tried to stop it, with a few throwing water bottles. The bus moved less than a block before police in riot gear began pushing back the crowd.

Stockley shot 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith five times after a high-speed chase. Prosecutors alleged Stockley planted a gun in Smith's car after he shot him.

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11:45 a.m.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A judge acquitted a white former St. Louis police officer today in the death of a black man who was fatally shot after a high-speed chase in 2011.

The acquittal of Jason Stockley in the death of 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith came amid concerns of significant unrest, but St. Louis Circuit Judge Timothy Wilson wrote he was bound by the Code of Judicial Conduct to not be swayed by "partisan interests, public clamor or fear of criticism." About 100 protesters were marching in downtown St. Louis within hours of the verdict being released.

Stockley, who shot Smith five times, was charged with first-degree murder. The officer said he saw Smith holding a gun and felt he was in imminent danger, but prosecutors said Stockley planted a gun in Smith's car after he shot him.

"This court, in conscience, cannot say that the State has proven every element of murder beyond a reasonable doubt or that the State has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not act in self-defense," Wilson wrote.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner said she was disappointed.

"While officer-involved shooting cases are extremely difficult to prevail in court, I believe we offered sufficient evidence that proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Jason Stockley intended to kill Mr. Smith," Gardner said in a written statement.

Assistant Circuit Attorney Robert Steele emphasized during the trial last month that police dashcam video of the chase captured Stockley saying he was "going to kill this (expletive), don't you know it." Less than a minute later, the officer fatally shot Smith. Stockley's lawyer dismissed the comment as "human emotions" amid a dangerous police pursuit.

Stockley, 36, could have been sentenced to up to life in prison without parole. He left St. Louis' police force in 2013 and moved to Houston.