Affidavit for arrests in Quakertown protest details injuries to police chief, doesn’t mention chokehold
Police Chief Scott McElree was injured while trying to make an arrest, authorities say.
A student protest in Quakertown last week escalated when officers attempted to detain a teenage girl, police say, setting off a struggle that ended with five teenagers charged and the police chief in the fray.
The protest quickly devolved into a melee in which students obstructed traffic, struck vehicles, and assaulted Chief Scott McElree as he tried to take one of the teens into custody, according to the affidavit of probable cause for the arrest of one of the students.
The document, obtained by The Inquirer, offers the most detailed account yet of what law enforcement officials say happened that day.
The protest took place Friday near the intersection of Juniper and Front Streets, where dozens of students had gathered to demonstrate against federal immigration enforcement actions.
According to the affidavit, officers were already monitoring the crowd when they observed students walking into roadways, throwing snowballs at vehicles, standing on benches and, in one instance, hitting the side mirror and kicking a white pickup truck. Officers warned the students to remain peaceful, the document said.
At some point, the affidavit said, a teenage girl stepped into the street “numerous times, including in front of moving vehicles.” An officer approached her on the sidewalk and told her she would be detained. When the girl attempted to walk away, the officer grabbed her arm, the affidavit said, and was quickly surrounded by other students.
It was then, according to the document, that McElree intervened. The chief “attempted to make an arrest” of the girl, the affidavit said, but a teenage boy began pulling her away. McElree grabbed the boy, who “began resisting arrest by pulling away” and struck the chief in the ear with a cellphone, the affidavit says.
The document said several others joined in: One girl struck McElree on the left shoulder. A teenage boy hit him in the head and ribs before an officer took the boy to the ground. Another girl punched McElree with a closed fist, and a different student struck him in the head with a backpack, according to the affidavit.
McElree, who left the scene with blood on his face, later told officers that he went to a hospital for treatment, according to the affidavit.
Five teenagers were charged with aggravated assault, which is a felony, and other misdemeanor offenses, according to two sources with knowledge of the case.
Quakertown police and Bucks County prosecutors have declined to release details of the arrests, including the students names, ages, and the charges against them.
The teenagers were detained until Tuesday, when they appeared before a Bucks County judge. At least three of the teenagers were released following the hearing, said the sources, who asked not to be identified to discuss an ongoing investigation.
Authorities have declined to provide details about the detention of the teen.
The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office continues to investigate.
Videos recorded by bystanders and obtained by The Inquirer show portions of the struggle from different angles. In one clip, McElree, who was dressed in plain clothes, appears to wrap his arm around a girl’s neck. Witnesses have said he did not identify himself as the police chief before engaging physically with the teenagers.
The affidavit makes no mention of a chokehold.
Ed Angelo, an attorney representing the 15-year-old girl accused of striking McElree in the shoulder, said she denies hitting the chief and that the charges against her should be withdrawn. He said the situation escalated only after McElree inserted himself into the confrontation.
“I think it’s time for the adults to be adults and pull the plug on this,” Angelo said.
Another adult who entered the altercation was initially placed in handcuffs but was not charged. In one video, an officer can be heard telling the man that the person involved was McElree — suggesting the man did not realize he was grappling with the police chief.
McElree hasn’t spoken publicly since the incident and has not returned phone calls and text messages seeking comment.
Some Quakertown residents have called for McElree’s ouster. Quakertown Community School District officials have said they expect to hear concerns from community members Thursday evening at a scheduled board meeting.