At least 5 students, adult arrested during anti-ICE protest in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, police say

At least five students and an adult were arrested after an alleged confrontation Friday morning during an anti-ICE protest in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, according to police.

Police say a group of students began peacefully protesting the actions of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement along 5th and Broad streets in the Bucks County borough shortly after 11:30 a.m.

Police claim some of the students threw snowballs, kicked cars and damaged property as the protest reached East Broad Street. They claim a side mirror from a car was torn off.

The protest then moved to Front and Juniper streets, where police claim students blocked traffic and allegedly jumped in front of vehicles. Police claim some of the students assaulted responding officers.

Police say five to six teenagers and an adult were arrested in the incident. It's unclear if any charges will be filed. Police say additional arrests may be made as the investigation is ongoing.

Quakertown Community High School students walked off campus hours after Dr. Jason Magditch, house principal of the high school, sent a letter to students, staff and families to cancel the student-led protest.

"While we respect students' rights to express their views, our first priority is to ensure a safe and secure environment for all," Magditch wrote in a letter posted on the high school's Facebook page at 7:09 a.m. "At this time, we believe canceling the protest is the most appropriate course of action in the interest of student safety and well-being."

Lisa Hoffman, the acting superintendent of Quakertown Community School District, said in a letter hours after the incident that the district learned of "safety" concerns with a planned student-led walkout Thursday night and notified parents and students around 6:45 a.m. Friday that it should no longer happen.

Hoffman said 35 students left campus around 11:30 a.m. without permission. The students went to Front Street and the school district later received word they were engaged in "unsafe and disruptive behavior in town," Hoffman said.

The acting superintendent said the district placed both the high school and elementary schools on lockdown until around 1:15 p.m. She said no one was allowed to leave or enter the schools during the lockdown.

"The district is actively investigating multiple reports regarding the actions of any student who left the building without permission. The district is awaiting more information from the police," Hoffman wrote. "The safety and well-being of our students and staff are our top priority. The district has requested a police presence at dismissal to ensure student, family and staff safety."

Multiple videos posted on social media and circulating online show confrontations between students and police.

One video appears to show a physical confrontation between a group of students and police. The video shows a man in casual clothing involved in an apparent confrontation with a group of teens. Another video shows the man being walked to a police SUV by officers. It's unclear who the man is at this time. One video shows a police officer grab a minor by their neck and take them to the ground during the confrontation.

In one video, an adult appears to be on the ground in handcuffs.

Police say videos posted online will be used during the investigation.

A spokesperson for the Bucks County District Attorney's Office said in a statement they're aware of the incident and are "currently gathering information."

"We are committed to ensuring public safety and will provide updates if and when legally appropriate," the spokesperson said in a statement.

"We were being peaceful"  

Several students who participated in the protest, who asked to remain anonymous, disputed the police account of how the violence began. While acknowledging that some people in the crowd may have acted inappropriately, they blamed officers for escalating the situation.

"We were being peaceful. Nobody threw punches at the officers until they started attacking us," one student said.

Students said a man in plain clothes appeared to charge into the crowd and began throwing punches. They said they did not initially realize he was a police officer.

"He just charged the students. He just rammed into the crowd of us and started throwing punches at the students," another student said.

"We didn't know he was a police officer until after it all happened," a third student said. "We just thought he was some random dude throwing punches at teenagers."

Students also questioned the officers' response to the situation.

"These were grown adults charging at teenagers," one protester said. "If anything, these people, especially if they're police, they should have more emotional maturity than that."