A University of Alabama at Birmingham professor was arrested Sunday in connection with a protest that briefly shut down Interstate 459 over the Thanksgiving night fatal officer-involved shooting of a Hueytown man.

Andy Baer, an assistant professor in the Department of History at UAB, was arrested by Hoover police and Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies near the Galleria, according to Hoover city officials..

Baer, 37, is charged with disorderly conduct in connection with the Tuesday-night protests almost one week ago on I-459. He was taken into custody during a traffic stop on Galleria Circle. The arrest was shown on Facebook Live by others in the car with Baer.

Efforts to reach Baer for comment weren’t immediately successful. UAB officials declined comment.

In a weekly update Monday regarding the Bradford case, city officials said they have consistently stated their support for each individual’s right to peacefully assemble. “However, some of these protests have taken an unsafe turn and violent or otherwise dangerous actions that have the potential to threaten or injure our residents and visitors will not be allowed. We continue to support the community’s right to safely protest, while at the same time maintaining the safety of our entire community. Individuals violating the law will be prosecuted.”

"This is a serious public safety concern for everyone,'' the statement read. "We have consistently stated that we will not allow roads and highways to be blocked by protesters because it

is hazardous and jeopardizes the safety of all citizens and visitors to Hoover."

On that Tuesday night – Dec. 4 - more than 100 protesters angry over the death of Emantic Fitzgerald “E.J.” Bradford Jr. descended upon a couple of Hoover businesses and then briefly shut down the interstate.

Promising to protest every night, a caravan of dozens of vehicles arrived en masse at Walmart on Highway 150 about 8 p.m. Police officers from Hoover, Vestavia Hills and Alabaster, as well as Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies, were at the business and flanked protesters as they chanted and marched through the store.

After leaving Walmart, the group walked to nearby Buffalo Wild Wings, where they also entered that business and demanded justice for Bradford’s death at the hands of a Hoover police officer.

The caravan then took the protest to Interstate 459, getting on at Highway 150 and traveling slowly, with their hazard lights on, to the Interstate 65 interchange. At that point, a much smaller group got out of their vehicles, stood in the roadway and continued with their protest.

Police blocked the Hoover entrances to I-459 during the protest. Dozens of lawmen, some riding on police SUV running boards, flocked to the scene and ultimately dispersed the crowd. Several large wreckers were brought in by the city and protesters were told if they did not move out of the roadway, their cars would be towed, and they would be arrested. No arrests were made.

Protesters contend it was police, and not them, who shut down the roadway.

The shooting happened at 9:52 p.m. Nov. 22. Police said Bradford and at least one of his friends, 18-year-old Brian Wilson, were involved in an altercation with another group that included 20-year-old Erron Brown.

According to authorities, Brown shot Wilson and fled the scene. Two Hoover police officers were nearby and one of them shot Bradford while he was brandishing a handgun. Bradford was pronounced dead on the scene.

Brown’s attorney, Charles Salvagio, said all of the men involved knew each other. He said Brown is not guilty of any crime.

Previous protests have been held at the Galleria, Hoover City Hall, Sam’s Club, the home of Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato and Renaissance Ross Bridge. They are demanding that video of the deadly shooting be released – of which a portion has already been viewed by attorneys for the Bradford family - and also want the officer who shot Bradford to face criminal charges.

Baer is the third arrest announced in the ongoing protests over Bradford’s death. On Sunday, Hoover city officials said Mark Myles, 36, was charged with disorderly conduct in connection with the same Dec. 4 incident on I-459. He was booked into the Hoover City Jail Sunday night after he was arrested by officers at the mall Sunday afternoon.

A Vestavia Hills woman - 48-year-old Anne Susan Diprizio - was arrested Thursday when Hoover police received a report of someone in front of Hoover City Hall throwing Christmas ornaments into traffic. Authorities say Diprizio also was standing in traffic on U.S. 31 and tried to climb on the hood of a vehicle while stating she was “going to stop traffic until there was justice for EJ.”

Diprizio also was charged with disorderly conduct. Hoover officials have not said who or how many people have outstanding warrants in connection with any of the protests.

According to Baer’s UAB biography, he studies race and policing in the 20th Century. He began his academic career studying the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

According to the bio, “Baer’s teaching interests include classes on the long black freedom struggle, Civil Rights and Black Power, the history of American policing, racial violence in the American city, and the rise of mass incarceration. Intrigued by interdisciplinary approaches to historical and contemporary problems, Andrew has a background in African American Studies and also spent two years as a graduate fellow at the American Bar Foundation, an independent non-profit organization advancing scholarship on law and society.”

Baer posted this on Facebook Wednesday morning following the protest on I-459: “For the record, the police played a major role in closing the highway. We left the site of our protest in a large caravan of cars. The police then directed our movement through Hoover and onto the highway by closing all streets and guiding us onto the highway. They then closed every exit for miles, escorting us at low speeds on a closed highway and then forcing us onto I-495 and then onto I-65. We were trapped and could not leave. So, we parked and got out of the cars. Eventually, they threatened to tow us, so we got in our cars and they escorted us onto I-65, where all the exits were closed up to Lakeshore. I had to get out and ask to be allowed off the highway at my house.”

Also in Monday’s statement was this: “All of us are keeping the Bradford family in our thoughts and prayers for their tragic loss. As we cooperate with the ongoing investigation, we’re also focused on the continued dialogue with residents, as well as community and faith leaders, around bringing our city together. We will also continue to pray for the other individuals who were injured or affected by the events on November 22, 2018. Additionally, we wish a speedy recovery to the two security officers who were injured at Renaissance Ross Bridge Hotel last week.”