Criminal charges filed against arrested Occupy LA protesters

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES

Charges against other demonstrators were expected.

All but one of the defendants were charged with a count of failure to disperse from the park.

One man, who allegedly spit on an officer, was charged with assault and battery on a peace officer and resisting arrest.

About 250 of the 291 people arrested early Wednesday remain in jail because they can't afford to post their $5,000 bail.

The raid of the 2-month-old encampment was hailed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Police Chief Charlie Beck as an example of non-violent police action, but some protesters said police were excessively harsh both during and after the sweep.

The Los Angeles Police Department has so far received eight phone calls to its complaint hotline and 14 written complaints about the raid.

See photos of protesters gathered around City Hall past the eviction deadline.

The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.

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