OAK LAWN (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - A Muslim civil rights group has planned a news conference today following news that an Oak Lawn police officer has been indicted on charges of beating a 17-year old boy while trying to arrest him last summer.
Oak Lawn Officer Patrick O’Donnell has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of aggravated battery and official misconduct. Last July, after a foot chase of 17-year old Hadi Abuatelah, Officer O’Donnell and two other officers were seen punching the teenager after getting him on the ground.
At the time, Oak Lawn Police Chief Daniel Vittorio backed up the officers’ actions because the teen had a bag underneath him, and police said the bag turned out to have a gun in it.
“Had the offender drawn that weapon, he could have shot them. What? Were they supposed to wait for him to pull it out?” Vittorio said.
Last summer, WBBM talked to Myriah Deal who had videoed the incident.
“Once they have you under control, what do you need to do extra for? I feel like they just want to get extra rage out, extra anger out. I don’t know. They probably had a bad day. That was, I feel like it was more so extra rage that they had and they was taking it out on the little boy,” Deal said.
A staff attorney for the Chicago chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations said the indictment of Officer O’Donnell is a start, but that all officers involved should be charged.
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Related
