A Purdue University police officer received death threats and is on leave after being caught on a video using his elbow to pin a Black student, Adonis Tuggle, to the ground during an arrest.
Part of 24-year-old Adonis Tuggle’s arrest was captured on a cellphone video by Tuggle’s girlfriend.
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Tuggle is screaming for help as Officer Jon Selke is on top of him.
“Stop! You’re hurting me! You’ve been disrespectful the whole time, bro! You’re choking me!” Tuggle says in the viral video.
The student told The Associated Press that the officer also punched him and pressed his face into the snowy ground during the Feb. 4 arrest on the school’s campus in West Lafayette, Indiana.
“He was smothering me, almost as if you were trying to drown somebody underwater,” Tuggle said.
Tuggle, a junior psychology major, was arrested and taken to Tippecanoe County Jail on suspicion of resisting law enforcement. He was released on a $250 bond.
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In a public statement, police Chief John Cox shared he felt Selke did everything right.
“Purdue University police became aware Friday night (Feb. 4) of an incident that occurred that evening involving a Purdue police officer who responded to an urgent call from a third party following our’ see something, say something’ campus safety guidance,” Cox wrote in a statement.” The caller stated that it appeared a woman was being held against her will near Horticulture Drive.”
“Any time a PUPD officer uses force in connection with an arrest, the department conducts an internal review,” Cox continued. “PUPD commenced that review, led by Deputy Chief Lesley Wiete immediately upon receiving the officer’s report on Friday night.”
Purdue University President Mitch Daniels has also released a statement promising to review the altercation.
“In the spirit of transparency, once the Purdue Police and Indiana State Police reviews are complete, all findings and evidence, including all video evidence from body-worn cameras, in-car camera footage, dispatch calls, and witness interviews, will be made available,” Daniels wrote.
The Purdue Graduate Student Government shared a statement supporting Tuggle, saying, “We condemn all police violence that disproportionately harms Black communities.”
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Officer Jon Selke will remain on leave until further notice after the officer and department receive death threats.
