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Local officials in Pennsylvania<\/a> are investigating the police response to an anti-ICE protest<\/a> on Friday where students and officers got into multiple physical confrontations.<\/p>\n \u201cOur office is conducting an independent investigation into the police response during this incident,\u201d the Bucks County District Attorney\u2019s Office said of the protest in Quakertown in a statement<\/a> on Facebook on Saturday. <\/p>\n The office said it was committed to a \u201cthorough and transparent review\u201d and called on members of the public to submit any footage of the tense encounter, which resulted in upwards of six arrests. <\/p>\n About 35 students walked out of Quakertown Senior High School on Friday to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Donald Trump\u2019s mass deportation efforts, defying a decision from school officials to shutter a planned demonstration over what administrators said<\/a> was a \u201cthreat of violence\u201d against the event. <\/p>\n The students are among hundreds across the country who have walked out of class or joined demonstrations against ICE, facing detention and other academic punishment.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Local officials are investigating the police response to a student anti-ICE protest in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, in which the police chief allegedly put a girl in a chokehold (6ABC)<\/p>\n More than 300 students at Woodbridge Senior High School were recently suspended after joining protests with other schools in Virginia.<\/p>\n Similar scenes have played out in schools from Maryland to Oklahoma and Utah.<\/p>\n Accounts differ of what led to the confrontations between students and police in Bucks County.<\/p>\n A widely circulated video of the clashes shows a man in plainclothes putting a girl in a chokehold.<\/p>\n Eyewitnesses and the local Bucks County Courier Times newspaper identified the man as Quakertown Borough Police Chief Scott McElree<\/a>. <\/p>\n The Independent has requested comment from the police department and McElree.<\/p>\n One demonstrator who witnessed the encounter told the newspaper that the students were unaware McElree was an officer.<\/p>\n “Everyone started to beat on him because he was grabbing at random kids,” the student said.<\/p>\n A bystander who saw the confrontation said the situation escalated further when a male student tried to help the female student, prompting officers to force the male student to the ground.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Around 35 students left class and took part in the protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement on February 20 (AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n \u201cThe situation completely escalated,\u201d she told the Philadelphia Inquirer<\/a>. \u201cThere were multiple grown men getting in the faces of the children, spit flying out of their mouths.\u201d<\/p>\n Another witness told<\/a> 6ABC that other adults appeared to get involved in the fighting as the scene devolved into chaos.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were other grown men who were bystanders who were getting involved in the situation as well,\u201d the witness said. \u201cThey were getting in children\u2019s faces, and one ended up in handcuffs.\u201d<\/p>\n Police told the Inquirer that \u201cfive to six juveniles and one adult have been taken into custody.\u201d <\/p>\n Officers said students engaged in dangerous behavior including entering traffic, throwing snow balls, kicking cars, damaging property, and assaulting officers.<\/p>\n Community members demanded accountability after the clashes.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen young people are involved in an encounter with law enforcement, the standard for care, restraint and adherence to policy are high and must be adhered to,\u201d Bucks County NAACP President Adrienne King said at a news conference on Saturday outside the police department.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not controversial. It is expected,\u201d she said. \u201cVideo circulating publicly has raised serious questions in our community. Those questions deserve answers, and we are here to ask for those answers today.\u201d<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n The local sheriff\u2019s office recently ended a cooperation agreement with ICE, citing community concerns (AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n A woman at the conference who gave her name as Allison said her stepdaughter was among those who were arrested.<\/p>\n “Our daughter was wrongfully accused,\u201d she said<\/a>. \u201cShe was deliberately sought after and she was assaulted. She was thrown into the ground and she was a choked. We want her home safe. We want respect for our daughter and for the other students like her who were there.\u201d<\/p>\n As of Sunday evening, more than 5,000 people had signed a change.org petition demanding McElree\u2019s resignation<\/a>. <\/p>\n It is unclear whether anyone who was arrested during the protest remains in detention.<\/p>\n Arrested students were taken to Bucks County Youth Center, which declined to comment when contacted by The Independent.<\/p>\n The center directed questions to Bucks County Juvenile Court, which is closed on Sundays. <\/p>\n Bucks County District Attorney\u2019s Office spokesperson Manuel Gamiz Jr. told the Inquirer that the major storm expected to hit the East Coast on Sunday night<\/a> prompted the closure of the Bucks County Justice Center, which could delay legal actions regarding the arrested students. <\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Bucks County officials recently voted unanimously to bar ICE from setting up processing and detention centers at warehouses within county limits, like those popping up in New Hampshire (pictured) and more than a dozen other locations across the country (REUTERS)<\/p>\n \u201cOnce students left school grounds without authorization and walked into town, deviating from the planned walkout route, they were no longer under the district\u2019s custodial control or supervision, and we have almost no legal ability to regulate or investigate their behavior,\u201d Dr. Lisa Hoffman, acting superintendent of Quakertown Community School District, wrote<\/a> in a statement on Sunday.<\/p>\n \u201cAdministrators were not on the scene in the borough and were not in any way involved in student arrests,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Students aren\u2019t the only ones criticizing ICE in the area.<\/p>\n In January, the county sheriff\u2019s office ended a collaboration agreement it had with the immigration agency, citing community concerns.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen large numbers of our residents are afraid to call 911, or come to court and testify, that makes our entire community less safe,\u201d recently elected Bucks County Sheriff Danny Ceisler said of the decision at the time. \u201cThis is not a public safety problem for immigrants. This is a public safety problem for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n This week, Bucks County commissioners voted<\/a> unanimously to bar ICE from setting up processing and detention centers at warehouses within county limits. <\/a><\/p>\n![\"Local](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-22-at-3-53-48-PM.png\")
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