Arrest

A Massachusetts attorney arrested for using his cellphone to record police officers while they arrested a man in public received a $170,000 settlement for damages and legal fees from the City of Boston on Monday.

A photojournalism student was charged with obstruction of justice and resisting arrest after photographing Philadelphia police officers who made a traffic stop outside of his home. Temple University junior Ian Van Kuyk was allegedly thrown to the ground and arrested while taking photographs of police for a class assignment.

A California judge refused to dismiss a felony conspiracy and two misdemeanor trespassing charges against a photojournalist for his coverage of an “Occupy” demonstration in Santa Cruz.

Superior Court Judge Stephen Sillman did rule last week, however, that the prosecution failed to present sufficient evidence that Bradley Stuart Allen committed felony vandalism, another offense he faced as a result of his newsgathering activities, and dismissed that charge after a hearing last week, Allen’s attorney, Ben Rice, said in an interview.

A Vermont judge declined to dismiss charges against a newspaper publisher who was charged with criminal trespassing while covering an anti-wind energy protest on Lowell Mountain.

A Washington Times reporter was arrested while covering the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. and said she was struck by police, but declined to disclose whether she will file a formal complaint.

At least six journalists were among more than 400 arrested during the Occupy Oakland demonstration in California over the weekend.

Protesters clashed with police in what began as a midday rally on Saturday that escalated into violence with rock throwing and tear gas spraying. Protesters are also accused of breaking into Oakland City Hall, vandalizing the walls and burning an American flag, according to news reports.

While many journalists covering "Occupy" protests around the country still face arrest and looming court dates, some are learning that they will not face charges.

The Chicago Police Department is investigating a Loyola University journalism professor's complaint that police detained him and deleted footage of an arrest he was filming.

Ralph Braseth, who said he is a credentialed journalist, was arrested on Nov. 12 while he himself was filming the arrest of a young black man who had jumped a turnstile at a subway station. Police spotted Braseth, who was about 40 feet away recording the incident for a documentary on urban black teens, and promptly arrested him for "obstructing an investigation," the journalism professor said.