SAN FRANCISCO, June 28 (UPI) -- Charges have been dropped against more than 400 of the 2,300 anti-war protesters arrested during rowdy demonstrations at the onset of the invasion of Iraq.
The surprise move announced by District Attorney Terence Hallinan Friday leaves the remaining 1,900 cases up in the air, The San Francisco Chronicle reported Saturday.
The dismissals came just one week after prosecutors refiled the cases to keep them from being dropped, the paper said.
But Hallinan Friday blamed the police department for his having to drop the cases, saying prosecutors did not have enough evidence to secure convictions against the demonstrators.
The raucous protesters wreaked havoc in the city for four days starting March 19, tying up much of downtown San Francisco.
Hallinan complained early on that police failed to provide reports for many of the cases. Officials said they will review the remaining 1,900 cases on an individual basis.
