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A newly surfaced probable cause affidavit offers the first detailed police account of what led to the violent confrontation between Quakertown Police Chief Scott McElree and high school students during the Feb. 20 walkout protest.
According to the affidavit, and reported by Bucks County Courier Times, the incident escalated after officers attempted to detain a 15-year-old girl who was allegedly walking in the roadway and blocking traffic during the student-led demonstration in the borough’s downtown.
Three of the five students arrested that day, referred to by community supporters as "The Quakertown 5," were released from juvenile detention Tuesday and placed on house arrest with electronic monitoring following closed hearings before a Bucks County judge.
The status of the remaining two students was not publicly confirmed as of Tuesday, per the Courier Times, and the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office has not released additional details. Because the teens are charged in juvenile court, their names, ages and specific charges remain confidential.
However, it was confirmed that at least two of the juveniles face felony aggravated assault charges in connection with alleged injuries to McElree.
Protest moved downtown after school cancellation
Police said they were monitoring the protest “from a safe distance” and assisting with traffic control after at least 35 students left campus and marched into the downtown business district. The walkout had originally been planned as an on-campus protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity, but the school district canceled it earlier that day after receiving what officials described as a concerning threat.
According to the affidavit and the Courier Times, officers observed protesters enter the 100 block of East Broad Street, where one female allegedly kicked the passenger side of a white pickup truck and struck its side mirror.
Police also alleged that students threw “ice balls” at vehicles, stood on benches and ignored requests to remain on the sidewalk.
Earlier public statements from Quakertown Police alleged property damage and said additional officers were summoned after “some individuals assaulted officers.”
Video shared widely online shows students chanting and marching prior to the confrontation. Witnesses have claimed vehicles followed the group, revving engines and yelling taunts, though that detail does not appear in the affidavit, according to the report.
Attempted detention and escalation
Police allege the 15-year-old girl was warned multiple times to stay out of the roadway. When the group reached Sunday’s Deli on Front Street, an officer ordered her to cross the street to be detained. As she began walking away, the officer grabbed her arm, according to the affidavit.
Other teens then intervened, pulling the girl away and allowing her to move back into the crowd, according to the article.
After the officer radioed for assistance, McElree and a sergeant arrived. The affidavit states that McElree attempted to arrest the same 15-year-old girl, but another teen boy pulled her away. Police allege the boy struck McElree in the head multiple times with a cellphone, per the report. He was eventually taken to the ground and detained.
The affidavit further alleges that multiple teens surrounded McElree and struck him, including the girl officers were initially attempting to detain, according to the article.
A sergeant reported seeing another teen approach from behind and hit the chief in the face and ribs. That teen was taken down and handcuffed after knocking over a planter during the struggle.
Police also allege that while McElree was grappling with a female protester on the ground, another girl struck him in the head with a backpack, and a separate girl punched him in the head and later kicked a detective while being handcuffed.
McElree, 72, was treated at a hospital for what the affidavit described as nonspecific injuries. He was seen leaving the scene with a bloodied face, though in one cellphone video he is heard telling another officer he was “fine," according to reports.
Adult taken into custody, no charges filed
The affidavit also references an adult male who jumped onto McElree and a detective in an attempt to pull the chief off a teen girl. While the man was taken into custody, no criminal charges had been filed against him as of Monday, the Times said, and a spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office said he was not aware of any adults being charged in connection with the protest.
Community backlash continues
McElree, who also serves as Quakertown’s borough manager, has faced mounting public criticism after cellphone videos circulated showing him entering the crowd in plain clothes and physically engaging students, including footage that appears to show a chokehold applied to a teenage girl.
Defense attorney Ettore “Ed” Angelo, who represents one of the 15-year-old girls charged, has publicly denied that his client had any physical contact with the chief.
The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office has opened an investigation into the incident. Meanwhile, community members packed Monday night’s Quakertown Borough Council meeting demanding McElree’s suspension or resignation, and a petition calling for his termination has gathered thousands of signatures.
As of Wednesday, two of the five students arrested remain unaccounted for publicly in court records, with no official update provided on whether they remain in secure detention, according to the report.
