Eric Larson might have been loud and obnoxious during World Trade Organization protests, but a jury yesterday decided he did not break the law.

Seattle's first trial stemming from the WTO mayhem focused on the alleged assault of two police officers by Larson, 34, a coffeehouse manager and poet.

It was the first of about 40 WTO-related cases slated to go to trial in Municipal Court in the next few weeks. They are all that remain of some 500 misdemeanor cases, most of which have been dismissed due to lack of evidence.

As the four-day trial wrapped up yesterday, attorneys gave dramatically different accounts of a clash between Larson and the officers the afternoon of Nov. 30.

The case was the first of about 40 WTO-related cases slated to go to trial in Municipal Court in the next few weeks. They are all that remain of about 500 misdemeanor cases, most of which have been dismissed due to lack of evidence.

In her closing argument, Assistant City Attorney Cindi Williams said Larson screamed at the officers, hoping to "spark the powder keg" and set off a riot.

Defense attorney John McGoodwin said Larson may have been rude to police but he had no intention of becoming violent and did not assault anyone during the protest.

"All you can convict this man of is being a pest," McGoodwin said.

He argued that the officers were too tired, hungry and thirsty to be sure of what happened, adding: "There was just too much going on."

The case is unusual because most protesters arrested in WTO demonstrations were charged with blocking traffic or failing to disperse -- not committing assault. Their defenses, unlike Larson's, are likely to focus on First Amendment issues.

Larson was accused of pushing a King County sheriff's deputy who was part of a police line. After being pepper-sprayed, he also allegedly struck another officer who was trying to arrest him.

Larson denied pushing or hitting anyone.

Observers captured part of the incident on tape -- audio and video -- but that evidence proved to be inconclusive.

Witnesses testified during the trial that Larson was pepper-sprayed several times at close range, grabbed by about five deputies and wrestled to the ground.

Larson, who lives and works at The Pearl coffeehouse in the University District, claims he went downtown that day to take pictures of the WTO protests for the Poem Record, a literary magazine he edits.

McGoodwin said his client "went downtown to see history being made and became a victim of history."

The trouble started when Larson, a former Army medic, tried to get through a police line to buy more film.

Deputies Paul Klein and Christopher Bedker testified that they had been standing near the corner of Fourth Avenue and Union Street for hours with no breaks and little food, and they ignored Larson's requests to cross.

Klein and Bedker said Larson shouted and glared at police before trying to push his way through the line. An officer standing behind the line pepper-sprayed Larson in the face.

Larson said the spray temporarily blinded him and dislodged a contact lens. He said he swore at officers and attempted to get his bearings and clear space around him.

Officers said he charged the police line again, an allegation Larson denies. Both sides agreed that Larson was pepper-sprayed a second time.

King County sheriff's Detective Michael Sutherland said that when he moved to arrest Larson, Larson hit him once, knocking him backward, then a second time when officers tried to pin him to the ground.

Sutherland said he was eager to get back to crowd control that day, so he handed Larson over to Seattle police officers, who wrote up an incident report that included few details.

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