The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office has charged 26 people in connection with anti-Israel protests in April that shut down the Golden Gate Bridge for nearly five hours, trapping hundreds of motorists, including a mother with a baby and a surgeon who was forced to reschedule an operation.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced the charges Saturday, saying eight of the suspects were charged with felony conspiracy, 38 counts of false imprisonment, trespass with intent to disrupt a business, obstruction of a highway, unlawful assembly, refusal to disperse during a riot and failure to comply with a lawful order of a uniformed officer.
Eighteen of the suspects were charged with misdemeanor conspiracy rather than felony conspiracy, and also faced the same charges as the other eight.
Jenkins said arrest warrants have been issued for the suspects and they are to turn themselves in to the California Highway Patrol (CHP) no later than Monday.
Anti-Israel agitators block traffic on Golden Gate Bridge
Anti-Israel protesters disrupt traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge in California on April 15, 2024. (KTVU)
“While free speech instruments must be protected, the exercise of free speech cannot be permitted to compromise public safety,” Jenkins said. “The demonstrations on the Golden Gate Bridge posed safety risks, including extreme threats to the health and well-being of those trapped inside, which we as a society cannot ignore or tolerate.”
According to an affidavit filed in court, hundreds of motorists were trapped on the Golden Gate Bridge and US-101 for hours due to organized protests.
Just before 8 a.m. on April 15, 2024, protesters gathered near the midpoint of the bridge on southbound US-101 and blocked traffic in the roadway with vehicles and pedestrians holding signs.
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On April 15, 2024, anti-Israel protesters blocked the Golden Gate Bridge in California. (KTVU)
The bridge captain identified himself to the protesters and informed them that they were breaking the law and obstructing traffic. The captain warned that the protesters would be arrested if they did not move their vehicles.
An individual, later identified as Sarah Kanter and wearing a neon pink safety vest with the words “Police Liaison” written on it, allegedly told the police chief that she understood what was happening, but that the drivers were chained up and unable to move, and that firefighters would have to separate them.
The affidavit alleges that conversations between law enforcement agencies did not produce a solution.
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Anti-Israel protests delayed traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge for several hours. (Ronald Davis/Commuter)
Three vehicles parked at the front of the protest contained people trapped in metal tubes that came to be called “Sleeping Dragons.”
CHP officers cut one of the metal tubes and warned the remaining protesters that they would cut through the vehicle and remove them from it.
Kanter reportedly asked to speak to the protesters, who then chose to exit their vehicles and turn themselves in to police. All six protesters were arrested, including Kanter.
The bridge eventually reopened at 12:20 pm.
Thirty-five victims told police they were trapped while the bridge was closed, and the affidavits contain numerous reports of victims missing work, important medical appointments, school and flights.
One victim listed in the affidavit allegedly missed an appointment before surgery to remove a tumor in her temporal lobe.
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Another victim, a mother, reported being late for her baby’s pre-surgery appointment because she ran out of water for her infant formula.
Other victims included a surgeon who had to cancel and reschedule all of his scheduled surgeries for the day, and a mother who reported her disabled child was trapped in a school bus on a bridge for four hours.
Officials said the accident caused more than $162,000 in damages to the bridge and that 12,000 vehicles typically use the southbound lanes between 8 a.m. and noon, and 8,000 vehicles use the northbound lanes during the same time period.
