A wheelchair-bound Newton woman last Saturday filed a complaint with the Cambridge Police Department (CPD) alleging she was assaulted by two Harvard deans.

Extension School Dean Michael Shinagel, also the master of Quincy House, and Extension School Dean of Students Christopher S. Queen say that their actions were appropriate and cannot be considered assault. They do, however, agree with the woman, Maryan Amaral, on many of the details of the incident in question.

The central disagreement between Amaral and the deans seems to be a legal one. All parties agree that Queen grasped Amaral's wheelchair and moved it a short distance. They disagree over whether this action was the equivalent of a physical assault on Amaral's person.

A CPD spokesperson said earlier this week that Amaral's complaint was under investigation. If officers conclude that an assault did take place, their next step would be to file formal charges.

The incident in question took place Feb. 10 in the Extension School offices at 51 Brattle St. Amaral, who had taken classes at the Extension School in the past, and Shinagel both agree that they boarded the same elevator.

Amaral and Shinagel had met before. One year earlier, Amaral said she filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, alleging that the extension school had no process through which to file complaints about noncompliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

In this complaint, Amaral lodged allegations related to noncompliance with handicapped-accessible statutes against Radcliffe College, where she had taken a dance course, and Harvard Business School, where she had also taken classes.

And, according to both Amaral and Shinagel, the two had met in person on Brattle Street sometime last year, an encounter in which Amaral's complaints were discussed.

In the elevator last Wednesday, both Amaral and Shinagel agree they had a conversation dealing with Amaral's previous complaints.

Amaral said that during this conversation, Shinagel called her "arrogant," saying that the "school has taken good care of" her and that she has "attitude problems."

Shinagel acknowledged that he did say Amaral had "an attitude problem," and that the extension school had made "every reasonable accommodation" for her disability.

When the elevator reached the fifth floor, where Amaral was to get off, the conversation continued while Amaral moved to a position in the elevator doorway in which her wheelchair prevented the elevator doors from closing.

As the conversation continued, Queen walked into the elevator lobby, where he says he asked Shinagel if he wanted to continue his conversation with Amaral. According to Queen, Shinagel said he did not.

According to another complaint Amaral says she filed with the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights (OCR), at this point Queen "came from behind me and started yelling to me and talking over me so that I would not be able to talk to Dean Shinagel."

Queen denies this, saying he "asked her to go either into or out of the elevator, and she refused."