OAK LAWN (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - 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, prompting outrage in the Arab American community.
Officer Patrick O’Donnell was indicted Tuesday by a Cook County grand jury on counts of aggravated battery and official misconduct in connection with the July 27 arrest of Hadi Abuatelah, according to a source with knowledge of the case.
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.
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Zaid Abdahllah, an attorney for Abuatelah, called news of the charges “a move in the right direction,” but was disappointed that all three officers involved are not facing charges.
He said Abuatelah and his family had not been contacted by anyone in the state’s attorney’s office about the charges as of Tuesday evening.
O’Donnell and the other two officers were filmed by a bystander holding Abuatelah on the ground and punching him in the head and legs during the arrest. As the video went viral, Oak Lawn Police Chief Daniel Vittorio defended his officers’ actions, which he said was in line with their training.
At a news conference where police showed dash cam video of the arrest, Vittorio 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.
Police said they recovered a loaded semi-automatic pistol from the bag, and the state’s attorney’s office charged Abuatelah with gun possession.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire & Chicago Sun-Times 2023. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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