WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Following a special prosecutor deciding to not file charges against a Purdue University police officer or student involved in a controversial arrest, the university, officer and student released a joint statement on April 12.
"First, we understand and respect the prosecutor’s decision and are glad for his forbearance in not proceeding with charges against Adonis. Notwithstanding the legal considerations, we believe this was an incident that escalated too quickly in the distinctive context of our campus environment," Purdue President Mitch Daniels said. "We recognize this is an outcome that no member of the Purdue community should expect in light of our high aspirations for community policing at Purdue, which have the primary aim of ensuring a safe and positive experience for our students on campus. We deeply regret what happened, and we’re grateful for our community’s patience as we, alongside Adonis, Officer Jon Selke and their families, have worked to gain a better understanding of what occurred that night and a reconciliation among the parties to the incident."
Officer Jon Selke and student Adonis Tuggle had a private meeting on campus. Both released comments after the meeting.
"I apologize for the impact of my actions on the night of February 4, 2022," Selke said. "I have privately spoken with Adonis and his mother, Ms. Cornelia Dawson, to express my sincere apologies to them. I fully acknowledge how my actions and the images of this event have called into question the safety and belonging of Purdue's Black community. I am very sorry for that."
Tuggle said he appreciated meeting with the officer and discussing what happened on Feb. 4.
"I'm grateful to President Daniels and Purdue University leadership for the support I have received over the past few weeks," Tuggle said. "Through this experience, I've come to understand that Purdue and PUPD are committed to positive community policing and providing a healthy and safe environment for Black Boilermakers. I recently had the opportunity to meet Officer Selke and learn more about his background and his family, and to understand his own personal history and service in the military and as a PUPD officer. We had a productive conversation, and I'm committed to working with him, the Purdue police, my fellow students, and the broader university community to forge a positive path forward."
Purdue will implement the following as a result of the arrest and community response:
- A reminder to the campus of any citizen’s responsibility and the legal requirement to respect promptly and peacefully the requests of a law enforcement officer.
- An immediate external review of the Purdue University Police Department’s use of force policy and de-escalation training program, followed by an action plan and metrics designed to prevent a recurrence of this type of incident.
- Officer Jon Selke is temporarily reassigned to administrative services while participating in comprehensive training, with a particular focus on de-escalation protocols, before returning to patrol duties.
- Continued commitment to recruiting a diverse police force, including Black student leader representation on search committees for PUPD leadership positions.
Video of the arrest shows Officer Selke attempting to arrest Tuggle on Friday, Feb. 4 near Harrison and Horticulture drives.
The department said a caller witnessed two people arguing and was concerned a woman was being held against her will. In the video, the person recording identifies herself as Tuggle's girlfriend.
The officer is seen on top of Tuggle, while he and his girlfriend yell for the officer to get off the student. At one point, the officer has his forearm on Tuggle's neck, and the woman tries to move it away.
"Touch me again, ma'am, and I will tase you," Selke tells her.
NOTE: The video of the arrest contains graphic content. Viewer discretion is advised.
The Indiana State Police finished its investigation into the case and turned its findings over to the Tippecanoe County Prosecutor's Office on Feb. 22.
On that same day, the prosecutor's office filed a motion for a special prosecutor to "avoid the appearance of impropriety." Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings accepted the role of special prosecutor on Feb. 25.
That special prosecutor released findings of the investigation on April 11.
According to court documents, when Officer Selke arrived to what he was told was a domestic incident, he asked Tuggle to move to the back of the car. On body camera video, Tuggle ignores the officer's request. Tuggle then returns his girlfriend's phone and wallet to her and tells the officer he took them to "get her attention."
The body camera then allegedly shows Selke again asking Tuggle to move to the rear of the car or he would be handcuffed. The video is said to show Tuggle ignoring the officer's command. As the officer places one handcuff on Tuggle's wrist, the video reportedly shows Tuggle begin to fight with the officer. The officer twice radios that he is involved in a fight. A minute and 30 seconds later, a second officer responds and Tuggle is placed in handcuffs.
The special prosecutor said analysis of the cellphone video taken by Tuggle's girlfriend shows Tuggle reaching around as Selke holds him down with Tuggle's hand coming in contact with the officer's handgun.
In a police interview, Tuggle reportedly tells the investigator, "The officer grabbed my arm and I tried to stop him in self-defense. I was fighting with the officer." Tuggle is then asked if he is hurt or injured in anyway and allegedly responds, "I'm fine."
The special prosecutor alleges that when Selke arrived at the domestic incident call, Tuggle was committing multiple crimes, including criminal confinement. The special prosecutor claims that when Tuggle began fighting with the officer, Indiana code allows for an officer to use "reasonable force if the officer reasonably believes that the force is necessary to effect a lawful arrest."
The prosecutor also claims that Tuggle's assertion that his actions were self-defense in stopping an arrest were not legal, "A citizen may not use force to resist a peaceful arrest..."
The prosecutor claims a review of the video does not show Selke at any point choke Tuggle.
The special prosecutor said Tuggle released a video, which failed to depict his own behavior that led to the police use of force. "His tactic was effective in provoking passion and deflecting criticism of his behavior," the special prosecutor wrote.
He went on to say, "The full investigation reveals Officer Selke did exactly as we expect our police officers to do. He intervened on behalf of the victim and successfully restrained Mr. Tuggle until backup arrived without injuring him. For that, Officer Selke should be commended, not vilified."
The special prosecutor did note that perhaps Selke could have spent more time attempting to de-escalate the situation.
He also mentioned there was enough evidence to charge Tuggle, but the officer, representatives of Purdue University and Tuggle's then-girlfriend all asked for Tuggle to not be charged.