the final protest march was permitted for 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. on the final day of the convention. this meant that the last of the marchers needed to be back on capitol grounds by 5 p.m. by 4 p.m., the march had still not left the capitol grounds. understanding that the protesters were interested in being near the xcel energy center when delegates were, police offered a compromise: march leaders were told that if they started their march before 5 p.m., police would allow it to continue past the permit time. march organizers refused. when the final protest march permit expired at 5 p.m., overpasses over interstate 94 leading into downtown from the state capitol were closed. two hours later, when the final assembly permit on capitol grounds expired and protesters refused several commands to disperse, police used tear gas, smoke bombs, pepper spray, flash bangs, mounted police, paint marker rounds, and rubber bullets to prevent an antiwar march organized by the anti-war committee to march on the xcel energy center. this march would have been in violation of the court-approved march permits. between 300 and 400 people were arrested or held including 19 journalists, among them ap reporters amy forliti and jon krawczynski, reporters from "twin cities daily planet" and "the uptake", and paul demko of "the minnesota independent". total arrests of convention protesters numbered approximately 800, although only 15 cases resulted in criminal charges. several suits were started in u.s. district court, claiming civil rights abuses by the st. paul police department and other agencies involved in the rnc, particularly the minneapolis police department and ramsey county sheriff's office. search warrants were still being granted into 2009 in relation to the events that transpired during the 2008 rnc.