Quakertown students involved in clash with police at ICE protest due in court
Quakertown students involved in clash with police at ICE protest due in court
Five Quakertown High School students will appear in court Friday after a clash with police during an ICE protest in February turned physical.
QUAKERTOWN, Pa. - Five Quakertown High School students involved in a clash with police during an anti-ICE protest last month will appear in court Friday.
The students were charged with several serious crimes, including a juvenile being ordered to house arrest with an ankle monitor.
The backstory:
Over two dozen students left Quakertown High School's campus on Feb. 20 as part of a planned anti-ICE protest.
The students moved through Quakertown, which was not part of the protest route that had been discussed with school officials.
That's when students and police clashed, with most of the confrontation caught on camera, leading to the arrests of five students.
Controversy arose when Quakertown's police chief, dressed in plainclothes, intervened and allegedly put a 15-year-old in a chokehold.
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"I was confused, everyone was confused, because nobody knew it was a policeman, he was in regular clothes, we were just like, why is this man attacking us," said Ashley Orellana, a senior student who attended the protest.
In a statement provided in the aftermath of the confrontation, Quakertown police said the protest began peacefully, but a portion of participants engaged in disruptive and unsafe behavior which prompted police intervention.
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In a statement provided by police in the aftermath of the confrontation, authorities said the protest began peacefully and escalated when a portion of students engaged in disruptive and unsafe behavior. Police allege that some participants assaulted officers during the confrontation.
What's next:
The five students charged in the confrontation will appear in court on Friday that could bring the incident to a conclusion.
In a statement provided to FOX 29 News, the attorney for one student said an offer extended by the Bucks County District Attorney's Office will result in the dismissal of two felony charges and reduced misdemeanor offenses.
"There will be no admission of guilt and, if approved by the Court, my client will remain on probationary supervision for a period of 6 months," the attorney wrote.