Policeman who beat autistic young man won't be prosecuted- sources

In the video, the boy can be heard shouting "Mami, Mami, want to go home" and "save me."

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Israel police car (Illustrative) (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Israel police car (Illustrative)
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
A policeman, who in May beat an autistic young man while detaining him, is not expected to be prosecuted for his actions, as he used "reasonable force," The Jerusalem Post's sister publication Maariv was told.
The Department for Investigations Against Police Officers in the State Prosecutor's Office is expected to hand in its conclusions in the case in the coming week.
Although the investigation has not yet ended, the opinion leans towards the fact that circumstances of the incident don't warrant a criminal investigation against the policemen involved in the incident in general and one policeman in particular, because at the time the demonstration was dispersed and in view of that person's behavior, the policeman could not identify that the man was autistic. "The conduct of the policeman at the scene, in light of the pressure and atmosphere around him, was reasonable, using reasonable force," Ma'ariv was told.
The incident took place on the Jewish holiday of Lag Baomer in May, after authorities arrived at a scene in Jerusalem to extinguish a fire, which was ignited in a problematic spot, and encountered opposition from a group of boys.
A video clip showing police officers using force to detain the autistic ultra-Orthodox young man flooded Israeli social media within hours. The clip showed several policemen pushing down a young man, who was injured and bleeding from his face, and arresting him. Witnesses revealed that he was autistic.
In the video, the boy can be heard shouting "Mami, Mami, want to go home" and "save me."

According to the police, the young man was arrested by a detective after attacking another detective dressed as a civilian. Border Police officers intervened only after the disturbances began and continued the arrests.
"From an initial investigation into the event it appears that a young man attacked one policewoman. During the arrest the suspect resisted, went wild and got wounded in the face. Immediately after the arrest and after his disability became evident, the present officer ordered his immediate release and he was treated on the ground by Mada. However, the circumstances of the incident are being thoroughly checked and investigated," the police claimed at the time.
MK Yair Lapid, number two of the Blue and White party and himself the father of a child with autism, reacted to the video on Twitter, saying "this is a shocking and heartbreaking video and makes my blood boil. The police must examine this matter urgently. "


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