Evidence Insufficient To Bring OL Cop Accused Of Beating Teen To Trial

OAK LAWN, IL — The Cook County State’s Attorney has dropped excessive force charges Wednesday morning against Oak Lawn Police Officer Patrick O’Donnell. The officer's bench trail was set to begin Thursday at the Leighton Criminal Courts Building.

O’Donnell, 35, was captured in a viral citizen’s video repeatedly punching 17-year-old Hadi Abuatelah in the head after the youth fled a traffic stop. Abuatelah was later discovered to be carrying a loaded 9mm pistol in a cross body bag.

The officer was indicted in February 2023 on felony charges of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, aggravated battery in the public way, and official misconduct under former Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s administration.

The Cook County State's Attorney's Office issued a written statement explaining that the charges were dropped "after a thorough review."

"We 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 every 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 motion.

Palestinian American activists and their allies claim the traffic stop was racially motivated by white police officers targeting Arab American teens. Oak Lawn police maintain the traffic stop was lawfully made when an officer smelled marijuana wafting from the youths’ vehicle and an expired tag.

While the driver of the vehicle cooperated with the officers, allowing himself to be searched, redacted body-cam video released the next day by the Oak Lawn Police Department showed Abuatelah taking off running.

A motorist filling her gas tank across the street from the McDonald’s on 95th Street recorded the takedown on her phone, showing O’Donnell punching the teen about the head and face more than ten times, according to charging documents.

Two other Oak Lawn police officers appeared in video applying blows to the teen’s buttocks and legs. Those officers have not been charged.

Following his arrest in July 2022, Abuatelah (spelled “Abu-Atelah” in some court documents), spent the next several days at Advocate Christ Medical Center being treated for injuries he claimed to have suffered, including brain bleeding, a fractured pelvis, a broken nose, and other bodily injuries. He was later charged as a juvenile with felony aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and resisting arrest.

A federal civil lawsuit has also been filed on Abuataleh’s behalf naming the Village of Oak Lawn, the Oak Lawn Police Department, the police chief and the three police officers. The complaint claims the officers “engaged in extreme and outrageous conduct” and violated Abuataleh’s civil rights.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that Abuatelah pleaded guilty to the juvenile gun charge when facing an unrelated felony robbery charge as an adult.

The case has polarized Oak Lawn, with many residents and businesses showing their support for the police department with yard signs and placards. Protesters have been regularly attending and disrupting monthly Oak Lawn Police and Fire Commission meetings, demanding that O’Donnell and the other two officers be fired.

Oak Lawn police would not comment on Wednesday's development, due to the pending civil litigation.

The Arab American Action Network is planning a protest outside the Cook County State's Attorney's office building, 69 W. Washington, downtown Chicago.

After almost two years of pretrial motions and preparation, the Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke’s office dropped the charges the day before the trial was set to begin.

“Today, a grave injustice has been committed against our community,” said AAAN lead organizer Muhammed Sankari in a written statement. “Instead of carrying out her duty to hold everyone accountable to the law, State’s Attorney Eileen Burke is returning the office to the old style Chicago politics of back room dealings and cover-ups of misconduct, where one corrupt and guilty hand washes the other."

An Oak Lawn village official also confirmed to Patch that the charges against O’Donnell had been dropped.

New information has been added.