In Oak Lawn, Illinois, a teenager who was hospitalized last summer was charged with misconduct and battery in connection with an incident. The police officer involved appeared in court on Wednesday.
Officer Patrick O’Donnell entered a plea of not guilty to four felony charges in the court of Cook County.
The charges originate from the apprehension of a firearm-wielding teenager last year that escalated into a violent incident.
On Wednesday, colleagues demonstrated their solidarity for O’Donnell at the courthouse.
The 32-year-old officer is charged with two counts of official misconduct and two counts of aggravated battery after an armed teenager punched him during several encounters.
As captured in a witness video, O’Donnell struck 17-year-old Hadi Abuatelah with a clenched fist in the middle of the street on July 27, 2022, while another officer restrained the teenager.
O’Donnell entered a plea of not guilty, was granted bail, and departed alongside his fellow officers.
Chief Daniel Vittorio of the Oak Law Police Department has expressed his endorsement for the actions taken by his officer.
The Arab American Action Network organized a demonstration regarding the incident in July.
According to organizer Muhammed Sankari, there is a need for a transformation in policing methods.
Sankari expressed disapproval, stating, “This is not acceptable. What is the issue with law enforcement in this particular state? If officers are instructed to repeatedly strike a child in the face while two other adults are holding them down, you forcefully grasp their hair and deliver repeated blows to their face, resulting in a broken nose, a fractured pelvis, and internal bleeding in their brain.
The Illinois State Police carried out an investigation into the use of force during the arrest of Abuatelah.
Sankari is of the opinion that the remaining two officers captured on video should face further charges.
Sankari stated, “Furthermore, there were supposed to be two extra individuals present in that courtroom.” “The truth is that only one person, Officer O’Donnell, was present in the courtroom today, and they nearly caused someone’s death.”
O’Donnell is currently still working for the department and fulfilling administrative responsibilities.
The American Arab Action Network is holding a rally on Wednesday evening to push for the arrest of the two other officers who were involved in the charge.
Oak Lawn Village issued the subsequent declaration.
The Village of Oak Lawn has received multiple inquiries related to the recent indictment of Officer O’Donnell since it first became public. Unfortunately, beyond what we first learned about it in the media 2 weeks ago, we haven’t received any information about the indictment, despite making multiple requests.
We contacted the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office multiple times, including twice in writing, to request information, including the report they received from the IL State Police in January. This was referenced in the media story and was presumably what led to the indictment, but again that’s speculation because the State’s Attorney is not communicating with the Village.
We also contacted the State Police to ask for a copy of their report, but they referred us back to the Cook County State’s Attorney who, again, hasn’t responded to or even acknowledged our several inquiries.
We wish that we had more to share, but things are still unfortunately very unclear at this point.
Our only hope is that seeking justice and applying fairness are the only motivators involved in this matter.
Village of Oak Lawn