Oak Lawn police officer pleads not guilty to battering teen

By Joe Boyle

Oak Lawn Police Officer Patrick O’Donnell had plenty of supporters with him on the morning of March 1.

O’Donnell, 32, arrived at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago surrounded by members of the Oak Lawn Police Department and family to face charges of two counts of aggravated battery and two counts of official misconduct in connection with an incident that left a 17-year-old teen hospitalized last summer.

The Oak Lawn officer, who was indicted last month, pled not guilty and was ordered by Judge Domenica Stephenson to pay a $75,000 I-Bond. He was allowed to leave the courthouse on his own recognizance.

O’Donnell left the way he came in; surrounded by Oak Lawn police officers and family.

O’Donnell and the officers had no comment as they left the courthouse. He is still employed with the department and is on administrative duty.

The officer is accused of punching Hadi Abuatelah repeatedly in the head after the teen fled from police following a traffic stop near 95th and Southwest Highway in Oak Lawn on July 27. Police initially pulled over the car because they said they could smell marijuana coming from the vehicle.

The driver complied to a pat down and police then asked a passenger in the back seat to exit the vehicle. The passenger — later identified at Abuatelah — had an accessory bag draped across his shoulder. After exiting the vehicle, Abuatelah ran, according to police.

He was tackled to the ground near 95th and McVicker. Oak Lawn Police Chief Daniel Vittorio said the teen was given verbal commands and did not comply.

“They (police) feared for their safety and he would not release the bag,” Vittorio said during a news conference later that week.

The teen was taken into custody and a gun was discovered in his bag, Vittorio said. The 25mm pistol was loaded with three rounds of ammunition, according to Vittorio.

Police said Abuatelah also had a THC vape cartridge in his possession and admitted smoking it earlier.

But controversy soon erupted after police provided dash-cam video of the incident. A citizen also had video of the confrontation. Two of the officers were seen striking the teen in the head and along one of his legs. Vittorio said that it was necessary to pin down the subject and prevent him from opening his bag.

The teen continued to reach for the bag until a third officer shocked him with a Taser, which Vittorio said stopped him from pulling out the weapon.

O’Donnell was charged because he was seen in the video punching Abuatelah in the head. According to court documents, he struck Abuatelah in the head over 10 times. Vittorio said the actions of the three officers was necessary because the teen had a gun.

Abuatelah was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center and treated for facial abrasions, a fractured nose and pelvis, and swelling of the brain, according to court documents.

Abuatelah has been charged as a juvenile with felony aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and resisting arrest. His case is still pending.

His parents have filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Oak Lawn officers.

“What concerns me is a (17-year-old) running around with a gun,” Vittorio said.

Members of the Arab American Action Network, Rainbow PUSH Coalition and other organizations viewed the police conduct differently.

While O’Donnell and the Oak Lawn police had no comment after last week’s hearing, Muhammad Sankari, a representative of the Arab American Action Network, had plenty to say outside of the courtroom.

“If officers are trained that while two other adults are restraining a child, repeatedly punch them in the face, you grab their hair and you repeatedly punch them in the face and you break their nose and you fracture their pelvis and you cause internal bleeding in their brain, what is wrong with the police in this state? That’s unacceptable,” Sankari said.

Sankari said that protests will continue until the two other officers are also charged and all three are fired.

Opponents are angry with the Oak Lawn police because they claim the teen was targeted only because he is of Arab descent.

Members of the organization and other groups protested at the Oak Lawn Police and Fire Commission meeting on March 1. The meeting was stopped by board members after some speakers used their scheduled time to show the video of the incident. Other people at the meeting became upset and demanded that the video not be shown.

Board members then stopped the meeting because they said they were unable to conduct business.

While the Oak Lawn police did not initially respond to media requests, the village put out a written statement later in the week.

“The Village of Oak Lawn has received multiple inquiries related to the recent indictment of Officer O’Donnell since it first became public,” according to the statement. “Unfortunately, beyond what we first learned about it in the media two weeks ago, we haven’t received any information about the indictment, despite making multiple requests.”

Also mentioned in the statement was that the village contacted the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office multiple times for additional information and received no response.

“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,” according to the statement.

“Our only hope is that seeking justice and applying fairness are the only motivators involved in this matter,” the statement concluded.

O’Donnell has been an Oak Lawn police officer since 2014. He and his wife have two children. The Oak Lawn Police Department named him Officer of the Year in 2020. He was honored with an award at a village board meeting that year.

“I’m proud to work alongside the men and women of this department,” O’Donnell said during that meeting.

O’Donnell is scheduled to again appear at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse on April 6.