QUAKERTOWN, Pa. (WPVI) — A student-led walkout protesting ICE escalated into a confrontation with police in Quakertown, resulting in multiple arrests, including several students and one adult.
The walkout began as an anti-ICE protest, with students walking through town while police monitored the situation. It remains unclear how the fight started, but by the end of the incident, five to six students and one adult were under arrest.
About 35 students from Quakertown High School walked out around 11:30 a.m., despite warnings from school officials not to hold the event.
Video from the scene has raised questions about what occurred.
In the footage, a man wearing a brown shirt, identified by sources as the Quakertown police chief, is seen putting a girl in a chokehold as other students surround him. He is not in uniform, which we are told is not uncommon for him.
The video continues as the man falls to the ground. It is unclear how the confrontation started.
Witnesses who asked not to be identified said they watched the incident unfold from a nearby restaurant.
“I’m shaken by it. They were children. They were children being ganged up on by adults with no self-control,” one witness said.
Another witness said, “The man started to attack the students, and that’s when the other students intervened and tried to get him to stop.”
Holly Magalengo has children who attend Quakertown High School. She was disturbed by the video, but said it’s unfair for local law enforcement to have to deal with this.
“Peaceful protests are something that we have the right to do, but when it’s violent and it’s disruptive, or there’s vandalism involved, then I think it changes everything,” said Magalengo.
Police released a written statement saying some students were disruptive, throwing snowballs and damaging cars and property.
In the statement, officials said some students began blocking traffic, prompting additional officers to respond, and said some individuals assaulted officers.
Witnesses disputed that account.
“The situation was completely escalated by the police, and it was extremely jarring to watch,” a witness said.
Quakertown High School went into lockdown at one point. School officials said they notified students of a potential safety threat and asked them not to hold the walkout.
Police have not spoken publicly beyond the written statement.
School officials said they are reviewing the actions of any student who left the building without permission.
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