No further charges related to Quakertown protest, district attorney announces
QUAKERTOWN, Pa. (WPVI) -- The Bucks County District Attorney's Office has released its findings into the Quakertown Police Department's response to a student protest back in February.
No further criminal charges are being filed, but the D.A. had "sharp criticism" for Police Chief Scott McElree.
The report looked into an anti-ICE rally that began at Quakertown Community High School and then continued into the borough.
Several teens were caught on camera in a chaotic confrontation with Quakertown police, including McElree.
The office of District Attorney Joe Khan said Monday there is no basis for criminal prosecutions against the chief or additional prosecution of the students.
The findings also addressed video from the incident that showed McElree with his arm around a juvenile's neck.
Khan said an independent expert concluded that the use of force "did not violate any Quakertown Police policy on force or any Pennsylvania law relating to permissible types of force that police may use to make an arrest."
However, the report criticized McElree's "operational choices, command execution, and his department's delay in adopting the Bucks County Police Chiefs' Use of Force Suggested Best Practice Standard."
It also criticized the chief's decision to "swiftly enter an agitated crowd of teenagers while wearing plain clothes, with no visible badge, uniform, body-worn camera, or handcuffs."
Action News is reaching out to McElree for a response.
According to an earlier report from The Police Chiefs Association of Bucks County, McElree suffered extensive injuries during the incident, including three fractured ribs, a collapsed lung and a lacerated ear.
Five teens were charged but, in March, the district attorney's office dropped felony charges against the teens. The D.A. has diverted all five juveniles toward having their records expunged.
The D.A. says that over the next few days, his office will hold meetings with the community and then release additional recommendations.
You can read the full report online.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
