The Oak Lawn Village Board approved a settlement agreement Tuesday with a Bridgeview resident who was involved in an altercation with local police following a traffic stop three years ago.
The village voted to approve a settlement amount of $825,000 for Hadi Abuataleh, 21, during a board meeting Tuesday morning. However, the board said they did so not on the merits of the case, but because the village’s insurance carrier was pushing for the settlement.
Abuataleh was 17 at the time of the incident that occurred during a traffic stop on July 27, 2022. Police said that a strong odor of burnt cannabis was emanating from the vehicle. Police also said that the vehicle was missing a front license plate and had a cracked windshield.
According to police, Abuataleh fled the scene and was later tackled by police at 95th and McVicker. Three police officers were involved in the apprehension of Abuataleh and some witnesses took footage of the encounter. Relatives, friends and community activists claimed that the officers used excessive force that resulted in severe injuries to Abuataleh that required hospitalization.
Police countered that Abuataleh had a loaded gun in an accessory bag he was carrying. Police Chief Daniel Vittorio said at the time the police were attempting to prevent Abuataleh from reaching into that bag. Police feared for their safety, Vittorio said.
Abuataleh was given verbal commands to release his hand from the bag but resisted, Vittorio added.
Officers said they then subdued Abuataleh and the gun was recovered. The incident created an outcry that summer in which protesters lined up outside the Village Hall frequently to claim that Abuataleh was mistreated by police because he is of Arab descent. Police denied that accusation.
Oak Lawn police at that time did not have body cameras but images of the incident appeared on a dash cam on the police car.
After the incident, Abuataleh filed lawsuits against the police officers and the village, claiming more than $2 million in damages. Former Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx brought criminal charges against one of the police officers, Patrick O’Donnell, who was accused of punching Abuataleh several times in the head.
However, those charges were dropped earlier this year due to “insufficient evidence” by Foxx’s successor, Eileen O’Neill Burke.
“Although no member of the board wanted to settle, the reality is that we’re operating in a climate where certain elected officials are openly criticizing law enforcement and pursuing criminal charges against our officers,” said Mayor Terry Vorderer.
“Given that environment, we had to consider the broader consequences and act accordingly,” added Vorderer, a former Oak Lawn police officer for over 30 years. “This settlement puts the entire matter behind us and finds no fault in the actions of our fine police department.”
Some sources stated that the board was willing to take the matter all the way to the Supreme Court. Oak Lawn Trustee Ralph Soch (6th), who serves as a liaison to the police department, was livid about the settlement vote.
“This is what happens when people treat offenders like victims and police like perpetrators,” Soch said. “Unless we recognize the consequences of that approach and correct course, we will continue to see more situations like this.”