OAK LAWN (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Oak Lawn residents filled their village board room Tuesday morning to offer support to their police force nearly two weeks after a video showed officers beating a teenaged suspect.
17-year old Hadi Abuatelah spent a few days in the hospital for injuries he sustained when Oak Lawn police officers punched him in the back and face as he was on the ground as the officers were trying to handcuff him July 27. The department said officers had been struggling with the teen because he was trying to get at a loaded handgun in the bag he was carrying.
During the public comment portion of Tuesday’s village board meeting, many spoke out in support of the officers.
One resident said, “I do commend the Oak Lawn police for doing what they did and I’m glad that that weapon’s off the street before it killed somebody or something else happened."
Another added, “What might have happened is if that gun was in his hand, would he be alive today? And, most likely, not.”
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Yet another person commented: “I’ve got two adult boys and I can tell you, unequivocally, that when they were juveniles, if they were running from the police, resisting arrest and caught with a loaded firearm, the least of their concerns would be the police.”
Mark Peter, though, spoke out against the officers’ actions.
“I was outraged when I saw that video. There is absolutely no excuse for police officers to beat a child like they did,” Peters said.
Before the meeting, Muhammad Sankari of the Arab American Action Network condemned the officers’ actions.
“They’re still patrolling the streets after assaulting this young man. Not only do they need to be taken off the force, we believe they should be fired and charged,” Sankari said.
Many speakers used most of their time so that a montage could be played of TV news reports from around the country of police officers being shot and wounded or killed. The montage was at least 30 minutes in total.
Hadi Abuatelah is charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and resisting arrest.
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Mayor Terry Vorderer, a retired Oak Lawn police officer, said the Oak Lawn PD is a great department.
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