Chicago to Pay Half-Million to Family of Autistic Teen

Chicago - A City Council committee proposed settling a lawsuit filed in 2009 by paying over $500,000 in the police clubbing of an autistic teen. Oscar Guzman, 16 at the time, was diagnosed with autism at the age of 4 and has the mental capacity of a 5th grader.

While taking a break from working at his family's restaurant in the Little Village area, he was outside observing pigeons and the scenery when a patrol car with two officers pulled up. They began to question the young man but became suspicious when he didn't answer them. His sister explained to the officers his disability but the police chased after him when he ran inside the store.

Oscar tried to explain to the officers his disability but was frightened when one of the officers reached for the baton on his belt. He struck the autistic teen once on the head.

Oscar Guzman required eight staples after an officer stuck him. The incident was witnessed by Guzman's family who were trying to explain Guzman is autistic.

After being struck, Guzman fell to the ground as blood began to pour from his injury. Knowing no other act but complete submission, he cried out, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I submit. I submit."

The Independent Police Review Authority announced an investigation into the event and interviewed his family members.

Ironically, the 2009 incident occurred the same week an award-winning Crisis Intervention Team program was promoted since over 1,000 of CPD's 13,500 officers completed the 40-hour training since 2004. The program trains police officials to notice signs of mental illnesses/disadvantages. Officer Jerald Nelson, a member of the Crisis Intervention Team, expressed the absolute importance of noticing someone with autism saying, "To recognize it, that's number one."

Nelson, who has a 21-year-old son with autism, says some of the characteristics as observed in Guzman's case were signs that the officers could have noticed. Included in those sings are avoiding eye contact and questions.

Not knowing such signs can easily make the situation worse as it did in the case of Oscar Guzman. The family has called for the still unidentified officers to be fired.

Worried that Guzman is permanently scarred by the event, his older sister believes that all officers should be trained prior to becoming patrol officers.

Guzman's drawing depicting his beating.

If the proposed $525,000 dollar settlement is approved, the money will go towards Oscar Guzman's condition and assist his sister who was threatened with arrest for questioning the officers.

The officers responsible for the attack say they saw Oscar reach for his waistband, a sign of possibly having a weapon, which they felt justified such violent force. The officer who struck Oscar claims he wa pushed in the chest after taking out his baton and inadvertently struck the teenager.

Police Stop Results in Death of Parolee

Albany, New York - Accusations of cold-blooded murder are being charged at two officers who killed a 19-year old man after a short struggle on the night of December 29th.

Police chief Steven Krokoff  opened a news conference about the subsequent event to the public, but within a short amount of time it became a shouting match.  One of the people, a woman, yelled "They're killing our kids" while City Council President Carolyn McLaughlin tried to get the crowd to calm down.



The victim, 19-year-old Nahcream Moore, was wanted for skipping parole. Police officers say while taking Moore into custody he saw him pick up a firearm while he fought with a police officer.

The driver of the SUV, 20-year-old Willisa Marshall, said she never saw Moore reach for a weapon of any kind.  Instead she said the officers "tussled" with him on the sidewalk as soon as he got out of the passenger side."

"He did what they asked and got out the car. And once he got out the car they tussled with him," Marshall said. "Two seconds later gunshots start going off." She said believes Moore was shot in the face while he was on the ground, but admits to not seeing it actually happen.  She added "They turned him over and shot him in the face.  I heard it and I knew it. That's where he was at when the shots when off. They brought him down to the ground.  I didn't see any gun and if he did have one, I'm sure he didn't approach them with it."


Marshall said about the stop, conducted by officers Jason Kelly and Gregory Mulligan, that "The police did not pull us over. We did not get chased by no police," Marshall said. "We was not even in motion. The car was not even in drive."

His friends say they don't believe he would've been armed with a gun and one of them said he believed there is a cover-up.


Jovaughn Morant, a friend of Moore's since he was 13, said about the incident "They're saying he did something wrong and they shot him." When asked if he thinks his friend had a gun, he answered "I want to see a gun."