The U.S. Justice Department failed to secure felony convictions against most of the 102 protesters arrested last year on charges of assaulting federal authorities in Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C., according to an Associated Press analysis updated September 12, 2026. All 12 cases that reached trial ended in acquittal, mistrial or dismissal, and the final three felony assault cases are scheduled for trial this fall in Los Angeles and Portland.
The AP tracked the outcomes of 167 arrests made during protests in the four cities last summer and fall. President Donald Trump had sought to deploy or successfully deployed the National Guard in those cities, and then-Attorney General Pam Bondi said people who interfered with federal law enforcement would face “severe consequences.”
Of the arrests reviewed, 102 involved felony assault on a federal officer, an offense that can carry up to 20 years in prison. Forty-one percent of those cases were dismissed, while 34% were reduced through guilty pleas to misdemeanors. Ten people pleaded guilty to felony assault, and nine received prison terms.
Among people arrested on other charges, seven were sentenced to prison for offenses including arson and obstructing law enforcement. A handful of defendants entered diversion agreements under which their cases will be dismissed if they demonstrate good behavior. The AP said the department’s record had not meaningfully improved since its initial assessment in December.
Mary Fan, a former federal prosecutor and University of Washington law professor, said the absence of felony assault convictions at trial was notable because prosecutors choose which cases to pursue and have substantial resources and discretion. She said the results call into question “whether or not these charges should have ever been brought in the first place.”
The outcomes have prompted questions about the speed of investigations and the charging tactics used as prosecutors faced pressure to demonstrate the Trump administration’s enforcement against alleged assaults on law enforcement. The Justice Department said federal prosecutors were right to prioritize cases involving people accused of assaulting federal officers and that “each case is based on the facts.”