Colin Hancock experienced anger and fear watching the melee between students and Quakertown Borough police officers. The Quakertown Community High School student claims he needed approximately 20 seconds to process the situation. Eventually, the sophomore says he felt sadness when he learned some of his fellow protestors had been arrested.

            Hancock said he considered helping defend his classmates. However, surrounded by chaos, the sophomore and a friend fled the scene.

            The Feb. 20 physical altercation between officers and students protesting the actions of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement resulted in at least six arrests and created a firestorm in the borough. Multiple residents demanded that council remove Scott McElree as its police chief during Monday's workshop meeting.

            Several attendees asked the members to terminate McElree, who also serves as the borough manager. Some told council they want him to face criminal charges.

            "What happened has shaken this community to its core," said Laura Foster, the co-founder of Upper Bucks United, a grassroots organization that serves the needs of residents, during the Feb. 23 workshop meeting.

            Video from the incident on the sidewalk at the intersection of Front and Juniper streets shows a man wearing a light brown shirt – believed to be McElree – moving into the crowd and tackling and choking a girl. Municipal authorities took five or six juveniles and one adult into custody. The investigation is ongoing, and additional arrests may result, according to information provided by the Quakertown police department.

            McElree – who did not attend Monday's meeting that attracted more than 100 residents – has held both positions for 22 years, according to his LinkedIn page. He spent more than 29 years working for the Whitemarsh Township Police Department before Quakertown hired him in the spring of 2004.

            The girl in the chokehold faces four felony counts, according to a speaker claiming to be her stepmother. The woman, identified as Alison, appeared at a protest the following morning outside Borough Hall, located at 35 North Third St. Alison described her teenage stepdaughter as "wrongfully accused and deliberately sought after."

            "We just want her home safely," said Alison, overcome by tears.

            At least two students were released to their parents on Tuesday, according to Foster. She said two others are being held by the Bucks County Youth Center, located at 1750 South Easton Road in Doylestown, for prior issues.

            Foster identified the students arrested as four girls, two of whom she described as Hispanic, and one boy. Criminal charges against an adult have not been filed in the Richland Township court of District Judge Lisa Gaier, according to information posted on a state judicial website.

            According to Hancock, between 35 and 50 students left school property last Friday  morning to express their opposition to the actions of ICE. The sophomore said administrators cancelled a planned event early that morning despite two weeks of planning.

            Initially, administrators and student organizers agreed to a walking route that would confine the protest to an area in front of the high school to make it more manageable for safety and security purposes. Borough police agreed to provide a security presence, according to a statement delivered by Lisa Hoffman, the Quakertown Community School District's acting superintendent. It states that administrators, following a law enforcement consultation, cancelled the protest at 7:15 a.m. after receiving a concerning threat of violence.

            According to Hancock, the fact that administrators did not provide any specifics for their decision motivated him to protest anyway. The borough resident said he believed they were attempting to silence the students' voices.

            "The state of affairs in the world motivated me to [protest]," Hancock said. "I know a lot of people that could be targeted, and that's not OK."

            At approximately 11:35 a.m., the police responded to the student-led protest. According to a news release issued later that day, a portion of participants – who initially marched along 5th and Broad streets – engaged in disruptive and unsafe behavior, prompting police intervention to protect public safety and maintain order.

            Police on the scene claim to have repeatedly warned the protesters to remain out of traffic to ensure public safety. As the protest reached East Broad Street, some participants began engaging in disruptive behavior, including throwing snowballs at vehicles, kicking cars and damaging property, such as tearing a side mirror from a car, according to the police statement. It states that the officers "issued additional warnings to maintain civil [behavior]."

            Hancock claims he did not see any of his fellow protestors commit any vandalism. He said he heard one person kick a car.

            "We were civil the whole time, as far as I was aware," Hancock said.

             A few seconds later, a man – believed to be McElree – in a long-sleeved shirt pushes through the crowd and appears to grab a student standing near the deli entrance. The video shows several students punching him in the head.

            "We did not know he was the chief," said Hancock, who watched the fracas while standing near the front door to the next-door residence. "He never identified himself."

            The day after the incident, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office announced on its Facebook page that it opened an independent investigation into the police response. It sought the community's assistance to provide any information, including video footage or photos.

            Council took no action on the matter during the meeting. President Donald E. Rosenberger said it wouldn't make any additional comments on the incident until the investigation is concluded.

            McElree remains in his job as the municipality's lead administrator, according to council Vice President L. James Roberts, Jr. Police administrators did not provide a direct response to a question about who is currently running the department. A message from the department's administrative email address states that the borough and the police are fully cooperating with the DA's investigation, done at the request of the municipality, and that neither entity will comment until it is complete.