Federal Protective Service officers arrested more than a dozen protesters outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles during Occupy ICE demonstrations that began in early July. Protesters maintained an encampment and said they were targeted for exercising First Amendment rights, while officials initially cited charges including assaulting officers and vandalism; the ACLU filed a lawsuit alleging excessive force and constitutional violations. Prosecutors later dropped assault charges against two protesters after defense attorneys said the officer named as the victim in both cases had failed to disclose prior criminal convictions. In one case, the officer's claim that he was punched in the face was contradicted by video of the incident.