Reporters arrested and TV crews fired upon at Michael Brown riots in Ferguson, Missouri

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Two reporters arrested in McDonald's while reporting on riots over death of Michael Brown - an 18-year-old shot dead by police on Saturday
One journalist was 'slammed' against a soda machine and an officer 'laughed sarcastically' at another reporter after he had his head 'banged' on a window
TV crews come under fire from tear gas and baton rounds
Singer John Legend joins calls on Twitter for police violence to stop

Published: 05:08 EST, 14 August 2014 | Updated: 13:24 EST, 14 August 2014

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Journalists reporting from race riots following the shooting of an unarmed black teenager say they were arrested and 'assaulted' by police.

Two reporters were arrested and TV crews came under fire from tear gas and rubber bullets while covering protests over the shooting of Michael Brown, 18, leading to the Twitter hashtag #mediablackout to start trending.

Washington Post staffer Wesley Lowery and Huffington Post justice reporter Ryan J. Reilly were both arrested inside a McDonald's in the city after a SWAT team stormed the fast food restaurant.

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A local TV crew reporting on the shooting of Michael Brown are almost hit by a 'bean bag' round - a projectile meant for apprehending criminals

An Al Jazeera crew moves away from their camera equipment as they are hit by tear gas

'Slammed': Wesley Lowery, a reporter for the Washington Post, was arrested by armed police officers

Both Mr Lowery and Mr Reilly took to Twitter and Facebook, saying they were 'slammed' into a fountain and 'banged' against a window when they did not pack up their equipment quickly enough when heavily armed officers shut down the McDonald's.

Mr Reilly wrote on Facebook: 'Tonight, along with a reporter from The Washington Post, I was arrested while reporting on the protests in Ferguson.

'Our apparent crime? Not packing up our gear quickly enough after a heavily armed SWAT team shut down the McDonald's where we were working.

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'A Saint Louis County police officer in full riot gear, who refuse to identify himself despite my repeated requests, purposefully banged my head against the window on the way out and sarcastically apologized.

'I'm fine. But if this is the way these officers treat a white reporter working on a laptop who moved a little too slowly for their liking, I can't imagine how they treat others.'

Tweeting live from their arrest, Mr Lowery said he was 'slammed' against a soda machine because he did not know which exit the police wanted him to take.

He had earlier been stopped from filming the officers in the fast food restaurant.

After hours in custody with no explanation given and no charges brought, the reporters were released and picked up by locals who saw their tweets.

Arrested: Wesley Lowery tweeted the news that he had been arrested in the early hours of this morning

Ryan Reilly, a reporter for Huffington Post, was also arrested in a McDonald's in Ferguson

The two journalists had been working together in the fast food restaurant when a SWAT team entered

Martin Baron, executive editor of the Washington Post, said: 'Wesley has briefed us on what occurred, and there was absolutely no justification for his arrest.

'He was illegally instructed to stop taking video of officers. Then he followed officers' instructions to leave a McDonald's — and after contradictory instructions on how to exit, he was slammed against a soda machine and then handcuffed.

'That behavior was wholly unwarranted and an assault on the freedom of the press to cover the news. The physical risk to Wesley himself is obvious and outrageous.

'After being placed in a holding cell, he was released with no charges and no explanation. He was denied information about the names and badge numbers of those who arrested him.

'We are relieved that Wesley is going to be OK. We are appalled by the conduct of police officers involved.'

Dead: Michael Brown was shot by an unidentified police officer in Ferguson, Missouri on Saturday

On patrol: Armed officers have been drafted in from neighboring forces as riots continue

Protestors line the streets as the demonstration continue into the night, despite a police curfew

Obama calls for peace in Missouri after shooting

An Al Jazeera news team were tear gassed by officers and a local TV crew were fired on with 'bean bag' rounds - a painful projectile used to apprehend offenders otherwise known as baton rounds.

It is not clear whether the tear gas and rounds were fired at the journalists on purpose.

Twitter users and celebrities sent tweets with the hastag #mediablackout to vent their anger at the journalists' arrest.

Singer John Legend tweeted: 'I believe these cops are intentionally trying to inflame the situation. They want an excuse.'

DeMarko Gage said: 'Dear @BarackObama, The police are arresting reporters so the truth won't be told. PLEASE DO SOMETHING. We Need your HELP! #mediablackout'

Ivan Molina tweeted: 'Where is our freedom of speech at? Police are desmantling [sic] the first amendment #mediablackout #Ferguson'

Brown shooting officer 'injured and shaken' says Ferguson PD...

Riots in Ferguson continued for a fourth night following the shooting of Michael Brown on Saturday.

The 18-year-old unarmed black man was shot dead by an unidentified police officer.

Police chief Thomas Jackson said earlier today that the officer, who has not been named for his own safety, was injured in the incident, suggesting there was a struggle.

But a witness to the shooting says there was no such struggle, and that Brown was shot multiple times in the head and chest.