Oak Lawn Settles With Former Bridgeview Teen Punched By Cops In Viral Video

OAK LAWN, IL — The Oak Lawn Village Board voted Tuesday to approve a settlement agreement for $825,000 with a 21-year-old Bridgeview man, who was a juvenile when he fled from and allegedly resisted arrest by Oak Lawn police officers after a routine traffic stop.

Hadi Abuatelah was 17 when a vehicle he was riding in on July 27, 2022, was stopped by an Oak Lawn police officer who said he could smell marijuana wafting out the window. While the driver and other passengers cooperated with the officers, Abuatelah fled, captured on the officer’s body cam.

Officers chased the youth on foot, eventually tackling Abuatelah (also spelled “Abu-Atelah” in some court documents), who officers claimed continued to fight with police and resist arrest. He was eventually found to be lying on top of a cross-body bag, continuing a loaded gun, police said.

Images of Hadi Abuatelah's July 2022 arrest, captured on Oak Lawn police bodycam.

The arrest of the teen being pummeled by Oak Lawn police officers was captured on a citizen’s video that quickly went viral and drew national attention. Abuatelah reportedly suffered bleeding in the brain, a broken nose, a broken pelvis and other injuries as a result of his arrest. Oak Lawn police officers continue to defend their actions, stating that use of force was necessary, maintaining the teen was resisting arrest and armed with a loaded gun.

Abuatelah filed lawsuits in federal court against the police officers and the Village of Oak Lawn, seeking more than $2 million in damages. Former Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx brought criminal charges against one of the Oak Lawn officers. Those charges were later dropped due to “insufficient evidence” by Kim Foxx’s successor, Eileen O’Neill Burke.

Mayor Terry Vorderer told Patch that the village board was prepared to fight the lawsuit “all the way,” but after pressure from the village’s insurance carrier and, upon advice from the village attorneys, decided to settle out of court.

“We had to make a decision in the best interest of Oak Lawn taxpayers,” Vorderer said. “None of us are happy, but that’s the reality of today’s legal system.”

The mayor, a retired Oak Lawn police officer of over 30 years, further elaborated in a statement, “that we’re operating in a climate where certain elected officials are openly criticizing law enforcement and pursuing criminal charges against our officers.”

The village’s out-of-pocket cost for the settlement is $250,000, with the insurance carrier paying the difference.

“This settlement puts the entire matter behind us and finds no fault in the actions of our fine police department,” Vorderer stated.

In the days following the 2022 arrest, hundreds of blue “Support Oak Lawn Police” signs sprouted up on lawns and in the windows of businesses. Protesters continue to troll Oak Lawn Police and Fire Commission’s monthly meetings, claiming Abuatelah, an Arab American teen, was racially profiled by Oak Lawn police when he and his friends were pulled over.

“It doesn’t surprise me at all [that the village settled],” said Mark Kuehner, a member of Southsiders for Peace. “That was a horrible abuse of power. They’re lucky to get off that cheap.”

Kuehner said he and other protesters from the Arab American Action Network will continue to show up the first Wednesday of the month when the police and fire commission meets.

“They still haven’t done any reforms to their police department,” Kuehner said.

Eventually, Abuatelah would plead guilty to a juvenile charge of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon stemming from his 2022 arrest in Cook County Juvenile Court. In a separate juvenile case, Abuatelah received a finding of guilty for fleeing and eluding.

At age 19, Abuatelah was charged as an adult with felony robbery for his alleged role in the beating and robbery of an Orland Park Lifetime Fitness member in 2023.

Oak Lawn Village Trustee Ralph Soch (6th District), who serves as liaison to the police department, was said to be especially livid about the settlement belt, according to a village news release.

“This is what happens when people treat offenders like victims and police like perpetrators. Unless we recognize the consequences of that approach and correct course, we will continue to see more situations like this.”