At least 17 people were arrested by riot-gear clad law enforcement officers after protesters staged a sit-in demonstration in front of a convenience store in St. Louis over the weekend.

Several hundred protesters filled the streets of Shaw in St. Louis over the weekend after news broke about a second police shooting in the area, further inflaming the unrest between the mostly black community members and the predominantly white police force.

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According to reports, the second incident occurred when an off-duty officer working for a security firm fatally shot an unarmed African-American 18-year-old, identified as Vonderrit Myers Jr., Wednesday last week in what was described as a firefight.

The shooting led to more protests, mostly peaceful, which were described by some media outlets as yet another Michael Brown incident.

Over 200 protesters wearing masks marched spontaneously in the south St. Louis neighborhood and tried to pry open the doors of a QuikTrip convenience store.

After failing to enter the establishment, the protesters settled into a sit-in, with some 50 people linking their arms in an attempt to block the store's doorway as St. Louis law enforcers tried to disperse the crowd.

"The people who were left there were people who made a conscious decision they wanted to be arrested," St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson stated.

During the encounter, which was caught on camera by some witnesses transmitting live footage of the scene, authorities used pepper spray and what seemed to be tear gas to diffuse the demonstrators. Reportedly, the protesters fought back, throwing rocks and striking at least one police officer.

According to Schron Jackson, a St. Louis police spokesperson, only 17 people were arrested and charged with unlawful assembly and were later released from detention on Sunday.

However, the demonstrators' media relations officer Mervyn Marcano claimed that at least 19 people were taken into custody.

TagsFerguson, st. louis, Shaw, michael brown, police shooting, protests, unarmed teen