Some University of Pittsburgh students swept up in mass arrests during G-20 protests in Oakland last week were "victims of circumstance" and won't face any charges, District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said yesterday.

Mr. Zappala's office has already identified at least four students who were erroneously arrested on Thursday and Friday nights, when police in riot gear ordered the dispersal of large crowds from Schenley Plaza and fired tear gas. A dozen businesses had windows smashed.

One student suffered an asthma attack before being taken into custody, Mr. Zappala said.

Of the 190 people arrested during the summit, 51 were Pitt students. Mr. Zappala described them as "pawns" used by some protesters who wanted to create mayhem on the streets of Pittsburgh.

Dozens of out-of-town protesters who came to the city to break windows and disturb the summit will face criminal prosecution, Mr. Zappala said. Some have not yet been arrested.

Mr. Zappala's office and Pitt police are reviewing video footage from some of the 300 security cameras on the University of Pittsburgh campus. Other evidence has been obtained by search warrants that are still under seal.

In a statement posted on the university Web site, Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg called the summit "one of the most difficult and action-filled weeks" in Pitt's history.

He thanked law enforcement authorities for working with the university to identify students who were caught in crowds and unable to disperse. He said Pitt will follow its own judicial process as it considers what actions to take.

Later yesterday, Pitt issued a further statement saying that "most" students who were arrested will have an opportunity to meet with campus police and explain why charges against them should be dismissed.

The offer will apply only to students who were arrested in Oakland and face charges of failure to disperse or disorderly conduct.

Pitt spokesman Robert Hill said students cannot bring an attorney to the sessions because Pitt does not view them as a legal process. "It is an opportunity for the student to tell his or her story in a manner that enables Pitt police to decide whether to recommend that the case not be pursued," he said.

If charges are dismissed, Pitt will not pursue campus judicial sanctions, Mr. Hill said.

Witold Walczak, legal director with the ACLU of Pennsylvania, said such meetings might make sense, but he said forcing students to come without a lawyer is unconstitutional and "dangerous" for the student.

"Talk about an insidious way to undermine someone's constitutional right to counsel," Mr. Walczak said.

"Are they going to put in writing that nothing the student says will be used against them?"

Mr. Walczak said even charges as minor as summary offenses are criminal and become part of a student's record if convicted.

At a Monday news conference at the Thomas Merton Center, some protesters and students accused the police of starting the Oakland confrontations.

Keith DeVries, 23, said a police officer fired pepper spray in his face as he was lying on the ground near the Cathedral of Learning.

Mr. Zappala said he will review police use of force, and anyone can contact his office about misconduct by law enforcement.

"I think the police showed tremendous restraint," Mr. Zappala said. "These guys were spat on, sworn at; they were kicked, hit."

Two people assaulted a state trooper and may have broken the trooper's shoulder, Mr. Zappala said. Neither attacker has been arrested.

There were no other major injuries, the district attorney said.

Pittsburgh police Deputy Chief Paul Donaldson is looking at the circumstances of the arrest of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Sadie Gurman, one of several journalists taken into custody.

Mr. Zappala said reporters shouldn't have been arrested while doing their jobs, but he also said everyone had an obligation to comply when police issued dispersal orders.

Fifty preliminary hearings related to the G-20 are scheduled for today at the Municipal Courts Building, and many likely will be postponed as the district attorney's office reviews more evidence.

Mr. Zappala encouraged people to bring their own video footage or other evidence to the hearings.

Fourteen Greenpeace activists who rappelled from the West End Bridge and attempted to jump from the Fort Pitt bridge likely will receive community service in a deal worked out with the group, Mr. Zappala said.

Mike Healey, a local attorney who is representing the activists, said his clients appeared to be satisfied with the deal.

Mr. Healey, of the National Lawyers Guild, is also representing several other people arrested during the summit, and he said he was encouraged by the district attorney's efforts to review the arrests.

Less than 10 people remain in jail, Mr. Zappala said. One is David Japenga, a 21-year-old Californian who is accused of causing most of the property damage in Oakland.

To watch a video retrospective on the G-20 protests, visit post-gazette.com

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