CHICAGO (CBS) — All charges against an Oak Lawn police officer were dropped Wednesday accused of using excessive force in the assault of a 17-year-old Palestinian-American boy after a traffic stop in 2022.
Patrick O’Donnell, 32, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of official misconduct for his role in the violent arrest of Hadi Abuatelah.
One day before a trial was set to begin Thursday, Cook County prosecutors dropped all charges against O’Donnell, court records show.
O’Donnell was charged when the Cook County State Attorney’s office was led by Kim Foxx, who did not run for re-election this year. Former Judge Eileen O’Neill Burke took over as Cook County State’s Attorney earlier this month.
In a statement, a spokesperson for O’Neill Burke’s office said: “After a thorough investigation, we have concluded that the evidence is insufficient to meet our burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt to move forward with the prosecution of this case .”
“Prosecutors must evaluate the evidence at each stage of a criminal proceeding and act accordingly in the pursuit of justice. Throughout the pendency of this case, the CCSAO has been in communication with the victim, his family and attorney as we sought an appropriate resolution. Today we asked the court to dismiss the case, and the court granted our request,” the prosecutor’s office said.
The Arab American Action Network, which has criticized the officer’s actions and supported Abuatelah’s family since the assault, blasted Burke for dropping charges against O’Donnell.
“Today a grave injustice has been committed against our community,” said the group’s lead organizer, Muhammad Sankari. “Instead of carrying out her duty to hold everyone accountable to the law, State’s Attorney Eileen Burke is returning to the old Chicago politics of backroom politics and covering up wrongdoing, with one corrupt and guilty hand washing the other.”
Several Arab-American groups planned to hold a news conference Thursday outside O’Neill Burke’s office to protest her decision to drop charges against O’Donnell.
On July 27, 2022, Abuatelah was sitting in the passenger seat of a friend’s car when they were stopped. Police said officers stopped them after smelling burning marijuana.
While O’Donnell searched the vehicle, Abuatelah ran away. Officers knocked him to the ground and O’Donnell began punching him in the face. Prosecutors have said he punched the teen in the head and face more than a dozen times.
Video footage from the dashboard camera can be seen The Oak Lawn police officers pin Abuatelah to the ground and punch him over and over as he lies on the sidewalk.
CBS
Police say Abuatelah was carrying a crossbody bag at the time and was reaching for a gun when he was pushed to the ground. A loaded .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol with three rounds of live ammunition was recovered from the bag.
Oak Lawn Police Chief Daniel Vittorio has defended O’Donnell’s actions, saying Abuatelah tried to run away with a crossbody bag and grabbed a gun when he was pushed to the ground.
Vittorio said officers feared Abuatelah was reaching for a gun, and the teen did not stop resisting until a stun gun was used.
The violent arrest sparked outrage in the Oak Lawn community. Abuatelah’s supporters protested outside the police station, demanding that charges against him be dropped.
Abuatelah’s supporters have said that even if he deserved to be arrested that day, the officer’s use of force was unnecessary.
“Let’s assume for a moment that this person had to be arrested legally. This is not the way to do it,” said Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, after Abuatelah’s arrest, “and in no civilization, no time, no place on earth has this kind of behavior acceptable.”
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Abuatelah was transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center, where he was treated for a broken pelvis and other serious injuries from the beating.
A loaded .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol with three rounds of live ammunition was recovered from the teen’s upper torso pocket.
After the assault and arrest, Abuatelah was charged as a minor with unlawful use of a weaponresisting arrest and possession of cannabis. The current status of his case was not immediately available Wednesday.
Earlier this year, while the case against O’Donnell was still pending, Abuatelah was charged with robbery, aggravated battery and mob action in connection with an incident at a Lifetime Fitness gym in Orland Park. According to the complaint, on December 10, 2023, he and two other young men kicked and punched a man at the gym and stole his cell phone.
Abuatelah, now 20, and his co-defendants – Sami Hirmiz, 20, and Nooh Masoud, 19 – were all released under electronic monitoring while they awaited trial in that case.
