Lawyers for student protesters detained in Pennsylvania say their clients did not know the stocky older man who joined a scuffle with police was the local police chief. The attorneys claim the Quakertown Community High School students acted in self-defense during a demonstration against immigration enforcement policies. They include a simple assault charge elevated to aggravated assault, a felony, because the alleged victim is Police Chief Scott McElree.

Defense lawyers said McElree, 72, arrived in an unmarked car with no badge, hat, or uniform, and never identified himself before putting his arm around a 15-year-old girl's neck. Videos posted to social media showed the tussle between students and officers. The lawyers questioned Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan's ability to remain impartial while investigating and prosecuting the teens in juvenile court. Some residents have called for McElree to resign from his dual roles as police chief and borough manager.

About 35 students staged a walkout to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement policies when police approached them outside a bakery. The lawyers said the students, many of whom are students of color and children of immigrants, were taunted along the route by another group yelling racial epithets. The defense expects to seek more time to gather video evidence, arguing this was an "abomination of escalation" that should have been a teaching moment for de-escalation.