‘This was not a chokehold.’ Quakertown Borough Council defends police chief after arrest of five teenage ICE protesters.

In its first public statement since five teenagers were arrested after an ICE protest in February that ended in a physical confrontation with police, the Quakertown Borough Council on Friday said Police Chief Scott McElree acted appropriately in his response to what it called the “unchecked aggression” of several teens who assaulted him.

The council also concluded that McElree, 72, had not placed a 15-year-old girl in a chokehold as bystanders and lawyers for the teens had asserted of an incident that was captured on ae video. McElree’s “positioning of his arm” around the girl’s neck, the council said, “was due to the disparity in height” between the two.

“This was not a chokehold,” the council wrote. “The Chief has never applied a chokehold in his career and has never been trained on how to apply a chokehold.”

The statement was strongly supportive of McElree, whose actions during the protest drew scrutiny after videos circulated online showing him — dressed in plain clothes — grappling with teenage demonstrators protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the sidewalk.

The council’s statement comes before the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office has completed its investigation of the incident. A spokesperson for the agency said the investigation was ongoing.

Borough officials said they could “no longer stand by without correcting misinformation and defending the integrity” of the police department and the chief.

The confrontation occurred after the protest moved through downtown Quakertown, where authorities said several teens attacked McElree as he attempted to detain one of them. Defense attorneys have called the police response unnecessarily violent and said the teens did not know McElree was the police chief when he stepped into the crowd.

In its statement, the borough council disputed that and said the teenagers knew who McElree was even though he was not in uniform at the time.

It released several photographs, including an image that officials said showed McElree speaking with the teenagers from his vehicle while they walked in the street and another that they said showed that the teenagers initiated physical contact with McElree before officers intervened.

McElree, who is also the borough’s manager, was injured during the confrontation, authorities said, and took workers’ compensation leave shortly after the encounter. He recently returned to work part-time.

Last month, a panel of four members of the Police Chiefs’ Association of Bucks Countycover-up cleared McElree of wrongdoing in the incident.

The council’s statement drew a sharp rebuke from lawyers representing two of the teenagers.

Sara Webster, a lawyer for a 16-year-old boy, said the council had “only included information that supported their position” and “excluded the most damning evidence” against the chief — including a video that captured him “charging into the crowd” with a “look of aggression on his face” before he grabbed her client from behind.

“This statement,” she said, “is such a cover-up.”

Five teenagers were initially arrested and charged with aggravated assault, a felony, and related misdemeanor crimes. Over several weeks, prosecutors have moved to quietly resolve the cases. By Friday, prosecutors had struck deals with four teenagers: Upon their successful completion of a diversionary program, all charges against them will be expunged, according to two people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to speak publicly.

At borough meetings since the encounter, dozens of residents have called for McElree’s resignation.

In its statement, the borough council said it was speaking out to clear up misconceptions about what happened on the day of the protest.

“We know that there are reasonable opinions that arise from an event of this magnitude,” the council said, “but we offer this summary with the anticipation that this communication will help forward the healing process our community needs now.”

It concluded: “The Borough is not taking any disciplinary action against Chief McElree or any [officers] concerning their actions prior to, during, or after this incident.”

Ed Angelo, a lawyer for the teen whose case remains unresolved, said the council’s statement “fits nicely into our two-tiered system of justice. My 15-year-old client got arrested in minutes, then jailed for four nights. Meanwhile, the chief gets a slap on the back. This is power circling the wagons to protect power.”

Lawyers for the other teens did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday.