Story highlights Officer who was shot is out of the hospital, police say

Police chief does not believe the shooting had anything to do with protests

The officer was patrolling in a car alone when he encountered the suspect

In a separate incident, off-duty policeman takes fire while driving his personal car

A police officer patrolling in Ferguson, Missouri, was shot in the arm late Saturday, police said. His wound was not life-threatening, and he was released from a local hospital after being treated.

There's no reason to believe the shooting was connected with demonstrations over the August police shooting of unarmed African-American teen Michael Brown, authorities said.

"It didn't happen within the proximity of the protest area," said St. Louis County Police Chief Col. Jon Belmar. The shooting scene was in a more secluded area.

"I wouldn't have any reason to believe right now that it was linked in any way, shape, manner or form with the protests," he said.

Still, the shooting stoked emotions among protesters who were on the street demonstrating over Brown's death.

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"All the hate's got to stop," Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson told a group of demonstrators after the shooting.

He also said some people who took part in protests over Brown's shooting have threatened to kill a police officer.

Foot pursuit

The officer shot was patrolling alone in his police cruiser when he conducted a "business check" at the Ferguson Community Center, St. Louis County Police said in a statement.

Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Protesters march in Ferguson, Missouri, on Thursday, August 21 2014. The St. Louis suburb saw turmoil after a white police officer, Darren Wilson, fatally shot an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, on August 9, 2014. Some protesters and law enforcement officers clashed in the streets, leading to injuries and arrests. Hide Caption 1 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A crowd gathers in Ferguson on August 21, 2014. With the situation appearing to calm, Gov. Jay Nixon ordered the Missouri National Guard to begin withdrawing from the city. Hide Caption 2 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police escort a Wilson supporter to a police vehicle, away from crowds protesting Brown's death on Wednesday, August 20, 2014. Police have said Brown and Wilson struggled over the officer's gun; some witnesses said Brown had his hands in the air when he was shot. Hide Caption 3 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Lightning streaks over protesters on August 20, 2014. Hide Caption 4 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Demonstrators protest on August 20, 2014. Hide Caption 5 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder meets with Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol at a Ferguson restaurant on August 20, 2014. Holder came to Missouri to talk to community leaders and review the federal civil rights investigation into Brown's shooting. Hide Caption 6 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Protesters march through the streets of Ferguson on August 20, 2014. Hide Caption 7 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police point out a demonstrator who has his arms raised before moving in to arrest him Tuesday, August 19, 2014. Hide Caption 8 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson People watch from inside a restaurant as protesters rally August 19, 2014. Hide Caption 9 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police arrest a demonstrator on August 19, 2014. Hide Caption 10 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police charge into the media work area with weapons drawn as they try to control demonstrators on August 19, 2014. Hide Caption 11 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A protester speaks to a police officer on August 19, 2014. Hide Caption 12 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson People on August 19 stand near a memorial where Brown was shot and killed, 2014. Hide Caption 13 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Protesters march on August 19, 2014. Hide Caption 14 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police watch as protesters march August 19, 2014. Hide Caption 15 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A demonstrator is arrested on August 19, 2014. Hide Caption 16 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police try to control protesters on Monday, August 18, 2014. Hide Caption 17 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police lead a man away during a protest August 18, 2014. Hide Caption 18 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A demonstrator shouts during a protest on West Florissant Avenue, one of Ferguson's main streets, on August 18, 2014. Hide Caption 19 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol pulls his men back from aggressive protesters on August 18, 2014. Hide Caption 20 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police arrest a demonstrator August 18, 2014, after peaceful protests gave way to angry confrontations with authorities. Hide Caption 21 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Law enforcement officers stand guard during a protest on West Florissant Avenue on August 18, 2014. Hide Caption 22 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A woman helps a man affected by tear gas August 18, 2014. The situation overnight deteriorated after a handful of protesters threw rocks, bottles and Molotov cocktails at police. Officers responded by firing stun grenades and tear gas canisters. Hide Caption 23 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Officers stand with weapons drawn during a protest on West Florissant Avenue on August 18, 2014. Hide Caption 24 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Musician Nelly, center, joins demonstrators in Ferguson on August 18, 2014. Hide Caption 25 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Demonstrators receive red roses as they protest August 18, 2014. Hide Caption 26 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Demonstrators march on August 18, 2014. Hide Caption 27 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson The Rev. Jesse Jackson shakes hands with a police officer as he visits Ferguson's demonstration area on August 18, 2014. Hide Caption 28 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A protester picks up a tear gas canister on Sunday, August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 29 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police wait to advance after using tear gas to disperse protesters August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 30 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Water gets poured into a woman's eyes after a tear gas attack by police on August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 31 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A man runs through clouds of tear gas on August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 32 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Protesters react as police fire tear gas at them August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 33 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police advance through a cloud of tear gas on August 17, 2014. Most of the crowd had dispersed after a curfew went into effect at midnight, St. Louis County authorities said. Hide Caption 34 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson People take cover from tear gas inside a McDonald's on August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 35 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A large group of police officers advance toward protesters on August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 36 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A man fights the effects of tear gas in Ferguson on August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 37 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Michael Brown Sr. and Lesley McSpadden, the parents of Michael Brown, attend a rally at Greater Grace Church in Ferguson on August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 38 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson The Rev. Al Sharpton hugs McSpadden during the rally. Hide Caption 39 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol speaks at the rally. He had been appointed by the governor to take control of security operations. Hide Caption 40 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Demonstrators defy a curfew early on August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 41 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police fire tear gas at demonstrators after curfew on August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 42 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A law enforcement officer aims his rifle August 17,, 2014, after tear gas was fired to disperse a crowd. Hide Caption 43 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Law enforcement officers check a building on August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 44 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson People attend a protest after the midnight curfew on August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 45 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A law enforcement officer watches as tear gas is fired to disperse a crowd on August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 46 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police stand guard before the midnight curfew on Saturday, August 16, 2014. Hide Caption 47 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson People loot the Ferguson Market and Liquor store on August 16, 2014. Several businesses were looted as police held their positions nearby. Hide Caption 48 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Missouri State Highway Patrol officers listen to taunts from demonstrators during a protest on Friday, August 15, 2014. Hide Caption 49 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Demonstrators protest with their hands up on August 15, 2014. The "hands up" gesture has become a symbol in protests as Brown, according to eyewitnesses, was trying to surrender when he was shot multiple times. Hide Caption 50 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police confront demonstrators on August 15, 2014. Hide Caption 51 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A demonstrator throws a tear gas canister back at police on August 15, 2014. Hide Caption 52 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police confront demonstrators on August 15, 2014. Hide Caption 53 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson ri – Thousands of demonstrators march down a Ferguson street with members of the St. Louis County Police and the Missouri State Highway Patrol on Thursday, August 14, 2014. Hide Caption 54 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Demonstrators hold signs as traffic moves slowly past them on August 14, 2014. Hide Caption 55 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson People scramble as police fire tear gas on August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 56 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson smiles at demonstrators on August 14, 2014. Johnson was appointed to lead security as state troopers took over after days of clashes between protesters and local police. Hide Caption 57 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson The Rev. Traci Blackmon uses a megaphone to talk to a large group of demonstrators on August 14, 2014. Hide Caption 58 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A man picks up a flaming bottle and prepares to throw it as a line of police advance in the distance on Wednesday, August 13, 2014. Hide Caption 59 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police stand in clouds of smoke as they clash with protesters on August 13, 2014. Hide Caption 60 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson An Al-Jazeera television crew runs for cover as police fire tear gas at its position on August 13, 2014. Video and images on social media showed police later breaking down the journalists' gear. Hide Caption 61 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A protester runs from tear gas exploding around him on August 13, 2014. Hide Caption 62 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police stand guard among demonstrators on August 13, 2014 Hide Caption 63 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson fields questions during a news conference on August 13, 2014. Hide Caption 64 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A small group of protesters block traffic in the street before police arrived on August 13, 2014. Hide Caption 65 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A protester throws a tear gas canister back toward police on August 13, 2014. Hide Caption 66 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police detain a man on Tuesday, August 12, 2014. Hide Caption 67 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson People congregate at the Greater St. Marks Family Church in St. Louis along with the family of Michael Brown and the Rev. Al Sharpton on August 12, 2014. Hide Caption 68 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Michael Brown Sr. stands alongside Sharpton, right, during a news conference in St. Louis on August 12, 2014. Hide Caption 69 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Demonstrators protest August 12 in Ferguson, 2014. Hide Caption 70 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A makeshift memorial sits in the middle of the street where Michael Brown was shot and killed. Hide Caption 71 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A woman tries to calm an emotional protester during a demonstration outside the headquarters of the Ferguson Police Department on August 11, 2014. Hide Caption 72 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Phaedra Parks, left, comforts Desuirea Harris, the grandmother of Michael Brown, during a news conference in Jennings, Missouri, on August 11, 2014. Hide Caption 73 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police officers arrest a man who refused to leave when police cleared streets in Ferguson on August 11, 2014. Hide Caption 74 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A burned-out QuikTrip gas station smolders on August 11, 2014 after protesters looted and burned the Ferguson building the night before. Hide Caption 75 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police officers and protesters confront each other on Saturday, August 9, the same day Michael Brown was shot and killed. Hide Caption 76 of 76

He saw a "male subject" at the rear of the building. When the officer got out of his car to question him, the man ran, and the officer gave chase.

Then the man spun around with a handgun and "fired shots at the officer," the statement read. One struck the officer in the left arm.

The officer shot back, police said, but there was no indication that he hit the suspect, who ducked into a wooded area, eluding the officer.

Police from neighboring areas joined Ferguson police to search for the suspect for more than an hour but could not find him. He is still at large.

In the aftermath of the shooting, county police officials gave differing accounts of what led up to it, saying at one point that it involved two suspects who spontaneously ran from the officer's squad car.

Belmar told reporters the officer was very close to two suspects when one turned on him with a gun. He said the officer blocked the gun with his arm and then was shot.

Police later said the account of two suspects was incorrect.

The officer was wearing a body camera, according to the Saint Louis County sheriff's office, but it was "not activated," officials said.

The wounded officer was able to speak and told colleagues about the incident, police said.

Separate shooting

In a separate incident hours later, gunmen fired at a car driven by an off-duty St. Louis city police officer on an interstate highway. The officer was in his private vehicle and was not wearing a uniform shirt at the time.

The gunmen passed the officer on the left and shot his vehicle multiple times with handguns, police said in a statement.

The gunfire did not appear to hit the officer, who suffered minor scratches from breaking glass.

"It is unclear at this time if the officer was targeted or if this was a random act of violence," county police said in a statement.

The officer did not return fire.

Heated Ferguson responses

Some people were quick to connect the officer's shooting with the tensions that have beset Ferguson since Brown was killed August 9.

Photos: The funeral of Michael Brown Photos: The funeral of Michael Brown Michael Brown's casket arrives at St. Peter's Cemetery on Monday, August 25, 2014 for his funeral. Brown, 18, was shot and killed by police Officer Darren Wilson on August 9 in Ferguson, Missouri. Brown's death sparked protests in the St. Louis suburb, and a national debate about race and police actions. Hide Caption 1 of 17 Photos: The funeral of Michael Brown Michael Brown Sr. yells out as the casket holding the body of his son, Michael Brown, is lowered into the ground during his funeral service in St. Louis. Hide Caption 2 of 17 Photos: The funeral of Michael Brown Family members touch the copper top of the vault containing Brown's casket. Hide Caption 3 of 17 Photos: The funeral of Michael Brown Mourners fill the pews for the funeral service at Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis. Hide Caption 4 of 17 Photos: The funeral of Michael Brown Lesley McSpadden, Brown's mother, sits during the funeral. Hide Caption 5 of 17 Photos: The funeral of Michael Brown The Rev. Al Sharpton speaks during the funeral. Hide Caption 6 of 17 Photos: The funeral of Michael Brown A Brown family member wears a tie with Michael Brown's face on it. Hide Caption 7 of 17 Photos: The funeral of Michael Brown People sing during the funeral for Brown. Hide Caption 8 of 17 Photos: The funeral of Michael Brown Brown's casket sits inside Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis before the start of his funeral. Hide Caption 9 of 17 Photos: The funeral of Michael Brown Funeral attendees sing before the start of the service on August 25. Hide Caption 10 of 17 Photos: The funeral of Michael Brown Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden, arrives at Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church for the funeral service. Hide Caption 11 of 17 Photos: The funeral of Michael Brown Brown's father, Michael Brown Sr., arrives for the funeral. Hide Caption 12 of 17 Photos: The funeral of Michael Brown Funeral attendees raise their hands as they wait in line to enter the church on August 25. Hide Caption 13 of 17 Photos: The funeral of Michael Brown Filmmaker Spike Lee takes a picture of a St. Louis Cardinals baseball cap that rests on top of Brown's casket. Hide Caption 14 of 17 Photos: The funeral of Michael Brown Mourners wait in line to enter the church. Hide Caption 15 of 17 Photos: The funeral of Michael Brown A hearse sits outside the church before the funeral. Hide Caption 16 of 17 Photos: The funeral of Michael Brown James Wright waits for the Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church to open for the funeral service. Hide Caption 17 of 17

"Cops are creating an excuse," one Twitter user posted. "Can't tell me differently."

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Others blamed people on the streets.

"Ferguson. YOU have a problem," one wrote.

"It's unbelievable that town is still this out of control," posted another.

Michael Brown protests

Demonstrators have taken to the streets of Ferguson since Brown was shot by white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.

Despite demands by protesters, Wilson has not been charged in the case, though a grand jury is hearing evidence that could lead to an indictment.

Tensions reignited in the St. Louis suburb on Thursday night after Police Chief Thomas Jackson addressed a crowd of demonstrators. A scuffle ensued, and arrests were made.

Wading into the crowd, Jackson apologized for his department's actions after the shooting, but pledged not to resign. "I'm sorry, and I said that from my heart," he said. "I had to get that off my chest. It's been sitting there for two months."

"If you are not resigning tonight, go home," one man said on a bullhorn.

Brown's shooting stirred complaints of widespread racial profiling in Ferguson, which Jackson rejected Thursday.

"It's never been the intention of the Ferguson Police Department -- or any police department that I know -- to intentionally target individuals because of race," said the chief. "If there is that happening, it's a crime and it needs to be addressed."