Who is Jon Selke? Purdue cop choked Adonis Tuggle, 24, with elbow during violent arrest
WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA: Purdue University campus police officer Jon Selke has been placed on administrative leave after the arrest video of a 24-year-old Black student sparked vehement outrage. The officer was seen using excessive force on Black student Adonis Tuggle, to the extent of pinning him on the snow-covered ground and choking him with his elbow. In the video, other students can be heard begging Selke, again and again, to stop 'choking' and 'hurting' Tuggle. However, the police officer fails to listen and threatens to tase a female student instead.
The incident happened on February 4, 2022, inside the Purdue campus when Selke responded to a report of a suspected assault on a woman. However, it was later found that Tuggle was innocent and was falsely suspected of the assault. Purdue University President Mitch Daniels noted, "There are no subjects Purdue takes more seriously than campus safety, student well-being, and proper police conduct. On Friday evening, February 4, police received a bystander report of a suspected assault on a woman, prompting an officer's urgent response."
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I am in no way posting this to perpetuate the cycle of black trauma, I am posting to spread awareness in an effort that that officer Jon Selke(Badge 91) is held accountable for his actions. This act of brutality happened at Purdue University to a classmate of mine Adonis Tuggle pic.twitter.com/7TC9U14kg3
— Will Chapman (@willchap19) February 9, 2022
As soon as the arrest video surfaced on social media, Selke and the Purdue University Police Department received death threats from the public. The outrage prompted an internal investigation into the February 4 incident, as confirmed by Daniels. Police are currently probing witness interviews and video evidence, including bodycam footage and car dashcam footage.
Meanwhile, Tuggle, who is a student of Indiana university's College of Health and Human Sciences, shared his ordeal on Instagram. He claimed that officer Selke "punched me repeatedly, elbowed me in the face, smothered my face into the snow, and choked me with his elbow while having me pinned to the ground the entire time." Tuggle pleaded with everyone to help him get justice and hold the officer accountable.
In the viral video, he can be heard saying to the cop, “Stop! You’re hurting me! You’ve been disrespectful the whole time, bro! You’re choking me!” Though Tuggle was arrested and booked into the Tippecanoe County Jail for resisting law enforcement, he was later released on a $250 bond.
The Purdue Graduate Student Government expressed solidarity with Adonis Tuggle, noting, "We condemn all police violence that disproportionately harms Black communities. WE STAND WITH ADONIS TUGGLE! We open our arms in solidarity with our fellow Boilermaker and vow to increase awareness around this incident, advocate, and provide help and support."
Selke's act of custodial violence was condemned by George Floyd's family lawyer Ben Crump, who tweeted, "Ofc. Jon Selke repeatedly pushed his elbow into Adonis Tuggle's throat for "resisting," choking him! An internal investigation suggested no officer wrongdoing, but we can all CLEARLY see the brutality! Ofc. Selke MUST be held accountable!"