O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley is urging Attorney General William Barr to launch a federal civil rights investigation of St. Louis' elected prosecutor.

Hawley is accusing Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner of abusing her power in her investigation of a white couple who wielded guns while defending their home during a protest.

Mark and Patricia McCloskey are being investigated by Gardner's office for the June 28 confrontation when several hundred protesters marched by their $1.15 million mansion.

The couple said the marchers knocked down an iron gate marked with "No Trespassing" and "Private Street" signs.

They emerged with weapons — him with a long-barreled gun, her with a small handgun.