Black Lives Matter: Couple draw guns on protesters outside their St Louis mansion

A video has gone viral of wild scenes when a couple pointed a pistol and an assault rifle at Black Lives Matters protesters in an angry confrontation outside their huge mansion.

Holding the semiautomatic weapon in his two hands while a woman waves a silver hand gun, the man gesticulates and can be heard warning hundreds of protesters off his property.

Local media have identified the pair as Mark and Patricia McCloskey.

The couple can be seen standing on the forecourt of their massive St Louis, Missouri, mansion telling protesters to get off their perfectly manicured lawns.

Barefooted and dressed in capri pants and a striped top Mrs McCloskey points the hand gun towards protesters while her equally shoeless husband, wearing a pink polo shirt and beige slacks swings the rifle from side to side.

Mrs McCloskey, whose law firm biography says she is a member of the Missouri Bar Association ethical review panel, at one point crosses the lawn and stumbles briefly while she has her gun aimed at protesters.

It is unclear whether her pistol or her husband's semi automatic were loaded.

The protesters can be heard loudly banging drums along with shouts of "Let's go" and "Keep movin'" as Mr McCloskey yells "You're not on the property".

It seems from one video the couple are reacting to people just walking on by. However, a video form another angle (below) does seen to show people at the side of the couple's house which may mean they are on the grounds. A man can be heard saying "get out, this is private property".

Both lawyers, the McCloskeys run one of St Louis's premier personal injury law firms.

The faux Renaissance-style home the McCloskeys were videoed defending was featured two years ago in St Louis Magazine after the couple invited photographers in for a photo shoot.

The confrontation happened as a large throng of BLM protesters marched towards St Louis mayor Lyda Krewson's house, taking them through one of the city's most exclusive neighbourhoods.

The group of at least 500 people were heading toward Krewson's home, chanting, "Resign Lyda, take the cops with you," news outlets reported.

Resignation demands come after a Friday Facebook live briefing, where Krewson read the names and addresses of several residents who wrote letters to the mayor suggesting she defund the police department.

The video was removed from Facebook and Krewson apologised on Friday, stating she didn't "intend to cause distress."

The names and letters are considered public records but Krewson's actions received heavy backlash.

An online petition calling for her resignation had about more than 43,000 signatures as of early Monday.

"As a leader, you don't do stuff like that ... it's only right that we visit her at her home," said State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis, speaking into a megaphone at the protest Sunday.

- additional reporting AP