Village to pay $825K to Bridgeview man injured in violent arrest by Oak Lawn police

OAK LAWN, Ill. (WLS) -- A man who was violently arrested as a teenager in Oak Lawn will receive $825,000 in a lawsuit settlement.

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Hadi Abuatelah, now 21, was arrested in July 2022. While conducting a traffic stop, Oak Lawn police said they smelled marijuana coming from the car they pulled over.

Body cameras captured the then 17-year-old Abuatelah running from officers. Eventually, officers stopped him in the street. Video released by Oak Lawn police shows officers hitting the teen.

Prosecutors accused the officer of punching the teen in the face more than 10 times during the arrest, and said he also used his Taser, which led to Abuatelah being hospitalized.

The video in the player above is from a previous report.

The officer was initially charged for the violent arrest, however, Cook County State's Attorney's Office dropped the charges.

RELATED | Charges dropped against Oak Lawn police officer after violent arrest caught on video

Abuatelah pleaded guilty in juvenile court to unlawful use of a weapon in the incident.

He then filed a $2 million lawsuit against the Village of Oak Lawn and the police.

On Tuesday, the Village Board approved to pay Abuatelah $825,000 in a settlement.

The board said they voted to approve the settlement "not because of the merits of the case, but because the Village's insurance carrier was pushing for the settlement."

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

"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. Given that environment, we had to consider the broader consequences and act accordingly," said Oak Lawn Mayor Terry Vorderer, a former member of the Oak Lawn Police Department. "This settlement puts the entire matter behind us and finds no fault in the actions of our fine police department."

In a statement to ABC7, Abuatelah's attorneys said:"The approval of the civil settlement by Oak Lawn to compensate Hadi Abuatelah for excessive force used by police officers is important accountability for his injuries including a broken nose and significant emotional distress. The video evidence is crystal clear - Hadi was beaten by a gaggle of uniformed police officers. Three white officers using closed fist blows to the head to this Palestinian-American teenager was wholly unreasonable and should never have been used when other tactics were readily available. This young man is only five-foot-four inches and 120 pounds while one of the officers alone was six-foot-four. This egregious behavior was unreasonable and over-the-top, and it is our hope that the Oak Lawn Police are more mindful going forward of their responsibility of reasonable conduct when engaging with all members of the community."

See ABC7's previous coverage on the case:

-Former police officers question handling of violent Oak Lawn arrest: 'Lawful, but awful'
-Family renews call for justice after teen's violent arrest by Oak Lawn police last summer
-Charges filed against teen injured in violent arrest by Oak Lawn police
-Charges dropped against Oak Lawn police officer after violent arrest caught on video
-Oak Lawn cop charged after video showed officers repeatedly hitting teen