SF district attorney expects Golden Gate Bridge protesters to be charged
Protests on Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on April 15, 2024.
SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins says she expects charges to be filed in the next couple of weeks against the protesters who blocked the Golden Gate Bridge this week.
Dozens of protesters were arrested after staging a pro-Palestinian demonstration on the bridge Monday morning. Traffic was snarled for hours during the peak morning commute.
D.A. Jenkins said she expects charges to be filed in the next couple of weeks.
"This is going to be on a rolling basis, it takes time to charge one person, let alone 26, when you're trying to identify their role in a situation," Jenkins said.
The D.A. said that the California Highway Patrol is continuing to collect evidence in the case for potential misdemeanor charges of unlawful assembly and failure to disperse. CHP is also asking the district attorney's office to charge the protesters with a felony for conspiracy.
On Tuesday, the protesters were released from San Francisco County Jail. The D.A. explained that since she couldn't yet charge the protester suspects, they would be released for now.
Meanwhile, CHP Marin released a video on X.
"The protestors used improvised devices specifically designed to delay first responders and restoring the roadway back to normal operations," the video said.
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The law enforcement agency and district attorney's office are asking anyone who was directly affected by the protest to reach out to them, saying they may be victims of crime.