Police chief’s involvement

Lawyers for the plaintiffs asserted that the 72‑year‑old chief, who also serves as the borough manager, arrived in an unmarked car, wore no badge or hat, and never identified himself before joining the fray. “He charged from his vehicle into the middle of this group of kids,” defense attorney Donald Souders said. “Many of the kids jumped in, in an attempt to defend her. They assumed that this was a counter‑protester.”

Timothy Prendergast, representing the 15‑year‑old girl who was allegedly choked, said, “My client was directly choked by the chief. It was alleged that she had struck him, which she did not. They are innocent. They were exercising their First Amendment rights. The chief did not like that and acted outside of his authority.”

Charges and detention

The students face a simple‑assault charge that was elevated to aggravated assault, a felony, because the alleged victim is a police chief. One 16‑year‑old boy, represented by Souders, suffered a broken eyeglass frame after being knocked into a planter by a uniformed officer during the scrum. He spent the weekend in custody trying to remove glass particles from his eye before being released to his father’s care.

Two of the teens were released on Tuesday, some on home confinement with ankle monitors; the status of the remaining two remained unclear as of Wednesday. Juvenile court records are not public, and the lawyers have not identified those clients.

Community response and investigation

Residents of Quakertown have called for Chief McElree’s resignation. Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan opened an investigation into the chief’s actions while also handling the prosecution of the teens, raising questions about his ability to remain impartial in both roles.

High‑school administrators initially met with the students about the planned walkout but withdrew permission on Friday morning out of safety concerns. According to the defense lawyers, the protesters were taunted along the route by another group of students shouting racial epithets.

“The police were following from a distance,” Souders said. “Probably in hindsight, they should have interceded between the protesters and counter‑protesters. They were saying really awful things to get the kids riled up.”

The attorneys expect to seek additional time to gather video and other evidence before the required adjudication hearing for the juveniles, which must occur within 30 days—or 10 days if the teens remain in custody. They argue the incident represents an “abomination of police escalation when it should have been a teaching moment for de‑escalation,” as lawyer Ettore “Ed” Angelo put it.