Oak Lawn police defended their officers’ actions, saying the 17-year-old, who is now hospitalized, had a gun on him. The teenager’s family remains at his bedside as he continues to recover in hospital. Police said he could face charges. We want to warn you, the video may be difficult to watch. WATCHES | Oak Lawn police press conference on violent arrest of teenager Police dash cam video begins with a car being pulled over in Oak Lawn for what police said was a missing registration and the smell of marijuana. As police searched for the driver, police said 17-year-old Hadi Abuadaleh got out of the back seat and ran. Dash cam video from other officers shows him chasing the teenager in the area of 95th Street. Another dash cam video then shows when Abuadaleh is already on the ground near 95th Street and McVicker Avenue. Aan’s officer is seen kneeling at his leg and another was seen repeatedly hitting the teenager’s head. Although it’s hard to see in the video, police said the teenager had a bag around his body that he refused to let go of. At one point, the video cuts out, but police can be heard shouting “pressure point” as they try to get him to release the bag. SEE ALSO | Dash cam video shows the Michigan City police encounter that left a man seriously injured Police said Abuadeleh refuses to comply and is holding a bag to his chest. “Once they feared for their safety and had reasonable suspicion that he was armed with a weapon in that bag and was not complying and trying to open that bag, they feared for their safety,” said Oak Lawn Police Chief Daniel Vittorio . he said. The officers then tied up and handcuffed the teenager. Oak Lawn police said a .25-caliber handgun was found inside his bag filled with three rounds of ammunition. Myriah Deal said she was pumping gas at a gas station near 95th Street and McVicker when she saw a teenager running away from police. “As he’s running, I see the police grab him, but he stopped,” Dill said. “There was no resistance. There was nothing. He was calm. And the next thing I know they wrestled him to the ground and started beating him.” Pulling out her cellphone, Deal captured about a minute of the confrontation, which shows the teenager on the ground with two officers punching him. A third officer comes to the aid of the first two. The video does not show what happened before the fight. At the hospital, his mother said she had no idea what happened. “An officer from the Oak Lawn Police Department said ‘we’ve got your son and we’re checking him out in the ER,’” said Dena Natour, the teenager’s mother. “Not once did he say he was hit.” His family said he was badly bruised with fractures to his head and body, slipping in and out of consciousness. Members of the Palestinian community gathered outside the Oak Lawn Police Department to get some answers. The family’s lawyer said the officers used extremely excessive force against the teenager. Activists from the Council on American-Islamic Relations denounced the officers’ actions Thursday as they joined Abuadaleh’s family and their lawyer in calling for the officers involved to be suspended. “It’s not about what someone can do. It’s about how they get arrested, how they get arrested, what happens after they get arrested,” said Ahmed Rehab, executive director of CAIR-Chicago. “Officers are allowed to use force to subdue people, but they are not allowed to use excessive force,” said Zaid Abdallah, the family’s lawyer. “And that was extremely excessive and wild.” Police said charges are pending against Abuadaleh, but because he is a juvenile and remains hospitalized, investigators have not yet been able to interview him. Oak Lawn’s police chief said the incident will be reviewed, but at least one of the officers has already returned to work. The full statement from Oak Lawn police On Wednesday, July 27, an Oak Lawn police officer conducted a traffic stop in the area of Southwest Highway and Austin Ave. During the stop, one person fled on foot. After a short chase, the assailant was apprehended in the area of 95th St and McVicker Ave. The individual refused to listen to verbal commands leading to a physical confrontation with two officers. The subject was then illegally armed with a semi-automatic handgun during the incident. Both the subject and an officer were taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries. Our investigation is ongoing and charges are pending. Copyright © 2022 WLS-TV. All rights reserved.
