Authorities in California have taken into custody a man who is suspected of slapping a 10-year-old autistic child in a widely shared video that has caused a stir on social media.
Scott Sakajian was charged on Tuesday by the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office with violence on an individual and willful cruelty to a child. The incident occurred on July 3 in the Pacoima district of Los Angeles, close to Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Osborne Street.
Ten-year-old Alfredo Morales stopped to touch and bend the symbol on a stopped Mercedes-Benz as he and his elder sister crossed the street.
The motorist, later identified as Sakajian, reportedly followed Alfredo and his sister to a bus stop after turning the car around, according to local CW affiliate KTLA.
He halted his vehicle and exited the vehicle. On the video, Alfredo’s sister can be heard and seen expressing her regret and explaining in Spanish that her brother has autism and that she didn’t mean any damage, but Sakajian didn’t seem to be buying it. That’s when Sakajian is said to have smacked Alfredo in the video.
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The woman who captured the footage told the newspaper, “I was traumatized, I was shaking. I said, ‘Hey sir, stop! You can’t be doing that.'”
A few days after the event, Sakajian was somehow recognized as the driver, and some neighbors showed up at his house to confront him. The site stated that threats prompted the arrival of police to the residence.
When word spread that the family was living in a broken-down truck in a park and was homeless, more strangers showed their support. The family has raised roughly $100,000 through a GoFundMe.
Sakajian’s court appearance is set for August 2.
