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ST. LOUIS COUNTY 鈥� A Ferguson protester who knocked down a police officer didn鈥檛 mean to severely injure him, the man鈥檚 lawyer said Thursday.

Now Elijah Gantt is being held on an unusually high bond, said attorney Ryan Krupp, set at $500,000 cash when he was arrested.

鈥淵ou really don鈥檛 have any intent here, which is the major issue,鈥� he told reporters outside the courthouse. 鈥淎nd because there was no intent there, we don鈥檛 see him as a danger to the community, and he鈥檚 certainly not a flight risk.鈥�

鈥淎 tragic result is not tragic intent,鈥� Krupp added.

Krupp made the statements after briefly appearing before Judge Bruce Hilton to say that he and attorney Tom Topping became Gantt鈥檚 lawyers Wednesday evening.

The court scheduled a bond reduction hearing for Dec. 12.

鈥淲e鈥檙e this far into the process, it is somewhat unusual to have not had the opportunity to be heard on bond,鈥� Krupp said. 鈥淢r. Topping and I feel strongly that Elijah is a great candidate for a bond reduction because he鈥檚 not a significant danger to the community. 鈥�

Gantt, 28, is accused of pushing police Officer Travis Brown down while running from him and other cops during a protest on the 10th anniversary of Michael Brown鈥檚 death outside the Ferguson Police Department. Officers were trying to arrest Gantt and several others who were accused of damaging the department鈥檚 front gate during the gathering.

Surveillance video and body camera footage showed Brown being knocked to the ground by Gantt as he sprinted right at the officer and the two collided.

Brown hit his head and suffered a severe brain injury. He has not regained consciousness since that night. His family on Oct. 7 said he was in stable condition and was under close observation as doctors began to wean him from sedation.

鈥淗e鈥檚 making some real good progress,鈥� Ferguson Police Chief Troy Doyle said of Brown while in court Thursday for Gantt鈥檚 hearing. He declined to comment further, saying he wanted to respect the family鈥檚 privacy.

Gantt is charged with two counts of fourth-degree assault on a special victim, resisting arrest, first-degree assault and property damage.

He was brought into court by jailers just before noon Thursday. Sitting with a guard in the room鈥檚 jury box, he quietly spoke with his attorneys for several minutes. He smiled at his siblings and mother who were in court to support him.

Krupp used the status hearing to schedule the December bond reduction hearing.

Gantt has had few other court appearances since his arrest. A heavily attended bond reduction hearing was set for Aug. 19, but his previous attorney waived that hearing after talking to Gantt in the courtroom.

鈥淲ell, I mean we may approach (the bond reduction) at a later time,鈥� attorney Scott Rosenblum told the Post-Dispatch at the time. 鈥淚 wanted to get more evidence before we argued it.鈥�

Rosenblum, a well-known defense attorney in the region, had entered Gantt鈥檚 case that day, which was about a week after the protest. He was no longer representing Gantt on Sept. 26.

Rosenblum on Thursday declined to comment on his withdrawal from the case.