PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Quakertown Borough Council has issued a four-page statement saying Police Chief Scott McElree will not face discipline following a February incident between borough police and students who were protesting ICE.
“At this point in time, the purpose of this communication is not to prove the guilt or innocence of any person or group; but it is intended to provide a balanced explanation of events,” the statement read. “We simply want to set forth the facts as they have been shown and told to us. We know that there are reasonable opinions that arise from an event of this magnitude, but we offer this summary with the anticipation that this communication will help forward the healing process our community needs now.” The statement comes after nearly three months of silence on the matter.
Quakertown High School had planned a student-led walkout for Friday, Feb. 20, but the school’s Acting Superintendent Lisa Hoffman tried to cancel it over “safety concerns” through a note to families just before 7 a.m. that day.
Students walked out anyway around 11:30 a.m. and made their way to Front Street where law enforcement said students began throwing snowballs at cars, kicking people, and at one point, tried to block traffic. The report by the Police Chiefs Association of Bucks County said the protest quickly turned unruly, unlawful, and placed lives at risk.
Videos that circulated from the event showed a plain-clothed McElree — who is also the borough manager — struggling with teens, and, at one point, on the sidewalk with his arm wrapped around a teenage girl's neck before he brought her to the ground.
Full statement:
In the statement, the borough council refutes allegations that the images show the chief using a chokehold, noting that is not department policy.
“As for Chief McElree's positioning of his arm around a protester's upper torso/neck, that was due to the disparity in height between the Chief and this protester and the Chief being physically attacked and knocked to the ground. This was not a chokehold. The Chief has never applied a chokehold in his career and has never been trained on how to apply a chokehold. Furthermore, QPD does not use chokeholds as a law enforcement technique.”
McElree was placed on paid leave following the incident. Five teenagers — now known as the “Quakertown five” — spent time in jail after being arrested. Felony charges against some of them have been dropped.
The incident remains under investigation by the Bucks County District Attorney's Office.
