Oak Lawn Officer Charged for Assaulting Teen

A grand jury indicted Oak Lawn Police Officer Patrick O’Donnell on aggravated assault charges on Tuesday after a video captured him punching 17-year-old Hadi Abuatelah several times after he and two fellow officers searched the teens’ vehicle, Matthew Hendrickson reports for NBC Chicago. The two other officers involved in the case have not been charged, but activists and the victim’s attorneys are looking for the other officers to be held responsible. 

The city’s police chief initially defended the officers’ actions, saying the response aligned with officer training.  After the incident, Abuatelah spent six days in the hospital. His attorneys said he had fractures to his face, skull and pelvis and brain swelling. Abuatelah himself was charged with gun possession, resulting from a semi-automatic recovered during the officers’ search.