Purdue officer video prompts police investigation as student Adonis Tuggle claims use of 'excessive force'

Purdue police officer Jon Selke reportedly choked student Adonis Tuggle during an arrest (Image via Adonis Tuggle/Instagram and Purdue University)

Purdue police officer Jon Selke has been accused of using “excessive force” on African-American student Adonis Tuggle during an arrest. The horrifying moment was captured on video and shared by the victim on social media.

In the video, Selke can be seen pinning the student to the ground while punching him in the face and restraining him with an elbow over his neck. Meanwhile, Tuggle can be heard repeatedly asking the officer to end the assault:

“Stop! You’re hurting me! You’ve been disrespectful the whole time, bro! You’re choking me!”

Trigger Warning: The following video may contain disturbing content

The clip was reportedly filmed by a woman claiming to be the victim’s girlfriend. The girl also attempted to stop Selke by tapping on his shoulder but the officer threatened to tase her if she made contact again.

As more officers arrived at the scene, the woman could be heard saying:

“Please help. This officer won’t get off his neck. He has taken it too far.”

The student was then taken into custody at the Tippecanoe County Jail on suspicion of resisting law enforcement but later released on a $250 bond.

Following his release, Tuggle took to Instagram to share the incident and claimed that the officer punched him, elbowed him, smothered his face in the snow and attempted to choke him with his elbow during the tussle.

He also shared that the Purdue Police Department refused to give him the bodycam footage and demanded justice by asking people to hold Officer Selke responsible for his actions.

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Why was Adonis Tuggle arrested?

In the wake of the police brutality accusations against Officer Jon Selke, police captain Song Kang told Journal & Courier that officers were called to Purdue University campus in West Lafayette by a third party caller who alleged Adonis Tuggle was holding a woman against her will near Horticulture drives.

Kang alleged that Officer Selke arrived at the scene and separated the pair but Tuggle refused to co-operate with law enforcement officials, prompting Selke to arrest and restrain him. The student confirmed to The Associated Press that he was charged with resisting arrest.

Tuggle said he does not know who contacted the police but the officer screamed at him after arriving at the scene and asked him to stay away from his girlfriend:

“I was already a couple of feet away from my girlfriend.”

The 24-year-old also mentioned that his girlfriend attempted to speak to the officer but he asked her to remain quiet by using certain slurs:

“I told him he had no reason to be disrespectful. He was yelling at her and she was yelling at him. I told my girlfriend to calm down and I heard him scream ‘OK buddy, you’re going down,' and he threw me against the car."

The student claimed the officer pushed him to the ground and asked him to stop resisting arrest. He alleged that Selke also punched and choked him in the process:

“I was still screaming ‘he has his elbow on my neck.' He dropped his full weight on my face and neck. In the heat of the moment, the only thing I was thinking about was trying to get this officer off of me. You could hear me say ‘I can’t breathe. You're choking me. You're hurting me.'”

Adonis Tuggle reportedly spent an hour in jail before being released on a $250 bond.

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Netizens slams Purdue officer and demand justice for Adonis Tuggle

Social media users are demanding justice for Purdue University student Adonis Tuggle (Image via Purdue University)

The viral video of Officer Jon Selke attacking African-American student Adonis Tuggle during arrest prompted people to remember George Floyd, who was choked to death by former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin in 2020.

Tuggle also drew comparisons between the cases while speaking to The Associated Press:

“Basically, what happened to George Floyd almost happened to me, except I had an elbow not a knee, and fortunately, I’m still breathing instead of being in a casket.”

The victim’s mother Cornelia Dawson also wrote to Purdue University President Mitchell Daniels Jr., saying that she is “very disturbed, disappointed and more fearful for” the safety of her son.

Meanwhile, civil rights attorney Andrew M. Stroth said that Tuggle and his family are demanding a full investigation into the case and the release of police bodycam footage.

Several social media users also took to Twitter to condemn the police officer and demand justice for Tuggle:

Purdue Police Chief John Cox also addressed the situation and assured that the incident will undergo an internal investigation:

“Any time a PUPD officer uses force in connection with an arrest, the department conducts an internal review. PUPD commenced that review, led by Deputy Chief Lesley Wiete immediately upon receiving the officer’s report on Friday night. ”

Cox said the investigation will include input from all witnesses and consider all available evidence, including video from officers’ body-worn cameras and statements from the students involved.

He also stated that no physical injuries were suffered during the incident. Meanwhile, President Mitchell Daniels Jr. said that Purdue takes issues like campus safety, student well-being, and proper police conduct seriously and has already begun investigating the situation:

“Immediately upon learning of the use of force during our police officer’s response, we ordered an investigation, including not only the required review of the officer’s actions as is standard procedure under Purdue University Police policies, but also witness interviews and a release of all video evidence, including body-worn and in-car camera footage.”

The president also mentioned that the inquiry will be “swift and thorough” and the Indiana State Police will also commence an independent review of the PUPD investigation and video evidence as an additional step.

He said appropriate action would be taken against Selke if he was found guilty of misconduct and confirmed that bodycam footage would be publicly released after the completion of reviews by Purdue Police and Indiana State Police.

The Purdue Graduate Student Government organization said it condemns “all police violence that disproportionately harms Black communities.” They also voiced support for Adonis Tuggle and vowed to increase awareness around the incident while providing help and support to those in need.

Officer Jon Selke has reportedly been placed on leave from the Purdue University campus following the incident.