A police officer in Illinois is facing criminal charges after multiple videos show him appearing to repeatedly punch a 17-year-old boy during an arrest last summer.
Officer Patrick O’Donnell was indicted by a Cook County grand jury Tuesday on counts of aggravated battery and official misconduct in connection with the July 27 arrest of Hadi Abuatelah, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
A public information officer for the Oak Lawn Police Department declined to comment on the charges or say whether O’Donnell was still employed by the village after the indictment was handed down.
Oak Lawn Police Department dashcam video shows Abuatelah running from officers after a traffic stop. Officers pulled the car over because they smelled burnt cannabis and the car didn’t have a front registration, WGN-TV reports.
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An Oak Lawn police officer is facing criminal charges after a video caught him and other officers repeatedly punching a 17-year-old boy during an arrest last summer. (Oak Lawn Police Department)
Oak Lawn Police Chief Daniel Vittorio previously defended his officers’ actions, which he said was in line with their training.
Vittorio had also said Abuatelah continued reaching for a shoulder bag as he struggled with officers and didn’t stop until an officer shocked him with a Taser.
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This is the moment 17-year-old Hadi Abuatelah allegedly went running from a traffic stop. (Oak Lawn Police Department)
Police said they recovered a loaded semi-automatic pistol from the bag, and the state’s attorney’s office charged Abuatelah with gun possession.
The arrest prompted outrage in the Arab American community. Zaid Abdahllah, an attorney for Abuatelah, called news of the charges “a move in the right direction,” but told local media he was disappointed that all three officers involved are not facing charges.
Oak Lawn Police Chief Daniel Vittorio previously defended his officers’ actions, which he said was in line with their training. (Oak Lawn Police Department)
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Abuatelah spent six days in a hospital for fractures to his face, skull and pelvis, as well as swelling of his brain, his attorneys told the Sun-Times.
