All five teenagers who were arrested during an anti-ICE protest in Quakertown are expected to appear in court on Friday and at least one of the teens could have their felony charges dropped.
The attorney for the teen told NBC10 that the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office offered their client a chance to have the charges dismissed in exchange for six months of probation.
“With respect to my client, the District Attorney’s Office has extended an offer that will result in the dismissal of both felony charges against him (on Friday) and a Consent Decree* disposition on the remaining, non-felony charges which include an alleged Disorderly Conduct charge,” the attorney wrote to NBC10. “There will be no admission of guilt and, if approved by the Court, my client will remain on probationary supervision for a period of 6-months. His house arrest will end. If he remains compliant, as I am certain he will, the remaining charges will be dismissed and, thereafter, expunged.”
Four of the teens are scheduled to appear in court at the Bucks County Justice Center in Doylestown on Friday, March 20, at 9 a.m. while a fifth teen is scheduled to appear at 1 p.m. due to a scheduling conflict from attorneys.
The teens – nicknamed the Quakertown 5 – were arrested back on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, as Quakertown Community High School students protested against the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Earlier that morning, the House Principal of Quakertown Community High School, Dr. Jason Magditch, sent a letter to students, staff and families, stating that the planned protest was canceled after the district received a report on Feb. 19 regarding potential safety concerns.
Despite this, around 35 Quakertown Community High School students still participated in the protest on Feb. 20 and walked out of class, according to officials.
Quakertown police responded to 5th and Broad streets in Quakertown around 11:35 a.m. that morning as the students marched in the area. Police said they warned the students to stay out of traffic. As the protest reached East Broad Street, some of the students began throwing snowballs at vehicles, kicking cars and damaging property, according to police. Police said they warned the protesters to remain civil at that point.
The protest then continued to Front and Juniper streets where the students blocked traffic and jumped in front of vehicles, police said. More officers were called to the scene and the students clashed with police, according to investigators.
Videos circulating online showed a physical confrontation between Quakertown Police Chief Scott McElree and the students. Chief McElree — who was not in uniform — could be seen on video placing a teenage girl in a headlock before other teens confronted him. A second officer is also seen bringing one of the protesters down.
Five teenagers and one adult were taken into custody. The teens were eventually released from juvenile detention but were placed on house arrest with ankle monitors.
The videos sparked outage from the Quakertown community with residents and parents claiming police escalated the situation. They called for the charges against the teens to be dropped and for Chief McElree to face disciplinary action.
Chief McElree is currently on workers’ compensation leave as the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office continues to investigate.
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