Black Autistic Boy Tased By Cops Who Mistook Him For Suspect

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The incident unfolded on November 20, 2023, as Dolton police were searching for four Black males who had fled from a crashed stolen vehicle and were allegedly armed.

An officer began to pursue teen Avarius Thompson, who they said matched the description of a suspect, after spotting him in a nearby backyard.

Body camera footage of the incident shows a Dolton police officer yelling “Hands up! Hands up!” as he runs towards Thompson with his Taser extended. In the video, the officer deployed the taser after Thompson jumped over a fence.

The officer tased Thompson a second time as he attempted to get up.

More footage shows Thompson’s mother, Gwendolyn Toran, telling the officers that her son is autistic after he was transported to a hospital.

“You can’t arrest an autistic kid, man! Y’all tased him. Y’all did that,” she says.

After being treated at the hospital, Thompson was taken into custody and released later that day, according to the family.

According to the family, Thompson suffered injuries including a fractured hip during his November encounter with Dolton police.