4 arrested after incident during basketball game at Whitehall High School: Police

WHITEHALL TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Four people were arrested at a high school basketball game in Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania on Tuesday night. It all began when a high school official asked a number of juveniles to leave a certain part of the building.

Chantel Jenkins's son was among those arrested.

"After watching the video, just how they can handle 17, 16-year-old kids, like literally were just standing there asking why they needed to be removed from the school," said Jenkins.

Cell phone video captured the incident.

Investigators say it started during a JV basketball game when the school's athletic director told several students to leave an unsupervised section of the building but they refused.

Local police officers, already there working security detail, were then asked to intervene, commanding the group to disburse, and one teenager in particular, to leave the property. But once again they refused.

Whitehall police released a statement saying, "The juvenile refused numerous requests to leave. When officers went to take him into custody, they were surrounded by juveniles who physically attempted to block the officers from a lawful arrest."

Witnesses say the scene turned chaotic after an officer forced one juvenile to the floor as a police dog lunged.

"Once the canine dog came, all the people were scattered through the bleachers and went down and all the things started happening," said Tyrese Green, a student at Whitehall High School.

In the end, four juveniles were arrested and the game was canceled.

As the investigation continues, the Whitehall-Coplay School District released a statement saying, "The Whitehall-Coplay School District has a very close working relationship with the Whitehall Township Police and we respect their decisions in maintaining a safe environment for our school."