Officer Placed On Leave After Viral Video Shows Him Choking Black Purdue Student

A video of a Purdue campus police officer accused of using excessive force is under investigation after he was seen forcefully pressing his arms against a student’s neck. The officer has been placed on leave, campus police told HuffPost.

The officer, Jon Selke, identified to HuffPost by Purdue University police, was shown in footage pinning Purdue University student Adonis Tuggle to the ground against a mound of snow during the night of Feb. 4.

Tuggle uploaded the video on his Instagram page, where he said Selke used excessive force against him during the encounter. (See the video below.)

“Step back,” Selke shouts on video while pressing his arms against Tuggle’s neck and face.

“Stop it, that’s my girlfriend,” Tuggle is heard saying as the video continues. The woman recording the video repeatedly tells Selke to stop and says “Get off of him” twice, and then tells Selke that he is “hurting” Tuggle and asks him to “take his elbow off his neck.”

Selke then tells the woman that he “will Tase” her if she does not move back.

“This officer won’t get his hand off of his neck. He has taken it too far,” she is heard saying on the recording.

Tuggle is repeatedly heard saying the officer is “choking” him as the encounter continues.

The university’s president, Mitch Daniels, released a statement on Thursday after the video circulated through social media. Daniels said police received a bystander report of a suspected assault of a woman, “prompting an officer’s urgent response,” according to the statement.

“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,” Daniels said in his statement.

“The inquiry into the police officer’s handling of the situation will be swift and thorough. As an additional step, following the internal review, the Indiana State Police will immediately commence an independent review of the PUPD investigation and video evidence. Should there be a finding of misconduct by the officer, appropriate action will be taken promptly,” the statement continued.

Tuggle, 24, was arrested and taken to the Tippecanoe County Jail at 9:23 p.m. Friday on suspicion of resisting law enforcement.

He was released on a $250 bond, according to the Lafayette Journal & Courier.

The investigation of the incident has been handed over to the Indiana State Police. That department provided no further comment as the investigation remains ongoing, according to public information officer Jeremy Piers.

HuffPost was not able to reach Tuggle for comment on the incident.