City Attorney John Choi said Friday that his office has declined to prosecute 323 people arrested on the last night of the convention. Twenty cases are still being investigated and could end up resulting in charges.
Still, Choi said, the decision to decline or dismiss a criminal case does not mean police acted inappropriately or did not have probable cause to make an arrest.
"There was a lot of confusion for a lot of people that night. Ultimately, our decision reflects our prosecution standard, which is, 'Can we prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt at trial?' " Choi said. "We've come to the conclusion that for the cases involving the Marion Street Bridge and the Cedar Street Bridge, that would not be the case."
Overall, the City Attorney's office has reviewed 672 convention-related cases and has brought charges in about 104 cases -- or about 15 percent. Choi broke down the numbers this way:
The misdemeanor and gross-misdemeanor cases included unlawful assembly and presence at an unlawful assembly, third-degree riot, false information to police, obstructing legal process and others.
Of the 75 cases presented to the County Attorney's office for possible felony charges, 53 cases were declined and 22 were charged.
Seventeen cases are pending trial; two defendants have pleaded guilty and three have been dismissed by prosecutors.