PRESS RELEASE: CAIR-Chicago Disappointed in Oak Lawn Police Department’s Response to Accountability Demands
(CHICAGO, IL, 7/29/2022) – Today, the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, (CAIR-Chicago), expressed disappointment and concern following a press conference by the Oak Lawn Police Department (OLPD) regarding an incident in which OLPD officers used excessive force in the brutal beating of 17-year-old Hadi Abuatelah after he was subdued.
During the conference, which was aired and livestreamed, OLPD released dash cam footage from the arrest of Abuatelah on Wednesday evening. The footage confirms the viral eyewitness video and shows the officers beating the minor while he was face down on the ground and not moving.
SEE: CAIR-Chicago to Address Police Brutality of 17-Year-Old Bridgeview Minor
OLPD Chief of Police Daniel Vittorio claims that the boy posed imminent threat to officers’ lives. However, the video evidence clearly shows the frail minor restrained on the ground by more than one officer. In addition, footage shared at the press conference was edited to remove the audio of Hadi’s cries for help, which were heard in another video of the incident captured by an eyewitness. CAIR-Chicago and Attorney Zaid Abdullah are demanding the release of the full unedited video.
“Police officers are not judges or jurors and cannot exact punishment for crimes. Their job is to detain individuals suspected of crimes and let the justice system handle the rest. The main issue here is officers can be seen brutally beating a minor who is face first on the ground,” Staff Attorney Emma Melton said. “Regardless of any suspected crime, once the child was tackled to the ground, he should have been cuffed and put into the squad car. Instead, officers took justice into their own hands and let their own bias cloud their professional judgment."
“We also learned that the one of the officers involved, is a Field Training Officers who trains new recruits,” Melton emphasized. “Chief Vittorio stated that the officers’ actions were consistent with Oak Lawn Police Department Training. This is incredibly disturbing. To know that a brutal beating of a child already laying face first on the ground is encouraged by the Chief of Police should not be overlooked. This type of vigilante justice cannot be tolerated by those who are supposed to serve and protect. We demand Oak Lawn Police Department re-evaluate their training policies.”
“Focusing on the alleged crimes committed by Hadi ignores the crucial piece of this case; police cannot exact punishment,” Litigation Director Phil Robertson stated. “Once enough force is used to subdue an individual, he must be detained and turned over to the justice system for trial. In the United States, we are entitled to a presumption of innocence until a judge or jury says otherwise.”
CAIR-Chicago is the Chicago Chapter of America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Our mission is to defend civil rights, fight bigotry, and promote tolerance.
-END-
CONTACT: CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab, 202-870-0166, arehab@cair.com; CAIR-Chicago Communications Coordinator Saadia Pervaiz, 312-374-2131, spervaiz@cair.com;
