A devastated mother is claiming that California police handcuffed her 16-year-old autistic son while he was experiencing a seizure.
The mom, Lourdes Ponce, alleges that instead of taking her son David Ramos to the hospital, police handcuffed him in a restaurant bathroom. In a video posted to her Facebook account, Lourdes can be seen shouting at the police to let her son go.
“He has autism, he has epilepsy, stop it!” she screams at the officer. According to Lourdes, on January 30, the family stopped at Pollo Loco to eat after visiting the Children’s Hospital in Madera. While dining at the restaurant, her son went to the bathroom and began having seizures.
As soon as the mother and her daughter saw David’s state, they called 911 and eight police vehicles arrived instead of an ambulance. Lourdes told ABC 30, “I stood outside the door, I heard him hit the floor, I tried to open the door but it was locked, that’s when I asked for help.”
Mom Says Police Handcuff and Hit Teen with Autism While He Was Having a Seizure
“Suddenly a Caucasian police officer came in pushing my daughter and me and slammed my son David against the wall and started hitting him,” Lourdes wrote on Facebook. “The officer didn’t bother to ask what was going on and thought he was on drugs.”
The distressed mother claims that even after she explained her son’s condition, the office continued hitting and handcuffing him. “Even after we told him my son’s condition and my son screaming at them that they were hurting him and hitting his head this unfortunate man didn’t care.”
The Fresno Police released a statement to ABC 30, saying “this case is currently under Administrative Review. The review will include the examination of all the information pertaining to the officer’s contact including Body Worn Cameras.”
“He is only 16 years old; the only mistake he made was having a seizure,” David’s sister shared with CNN. David, who has experienced seizures since he was 5-years-old, is now home recovering from the incident. However, she added that her brother is not doing well.
Katie Nave is a freelance writer, producer, and mama living in Brooklyn, New York. Driven by her passion for storytelling, she is always seeking opportunities to elevate people who are working to better the world around them.
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