A disturbing event unfolded in Pacoima on July 1st when a local child, diagnosed with autism, was slapped by an adult male after the boy touched the man's extravagant car. Footage of the incident, which took place at a bus stop near Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Osborne Street, has sparked significant community unrest. According to FOX 11, the video shows the man slapping the child with his left hand. The family reveals that the 10-year-old Alfredo Morales was simply exploring his environment, a behavior characteristic of his autism, when he felt the emblem on a parked Mercedes-Benz sedan.
The situation escalated as the owner of the vehicle made a U-turn and confronted the children—an older sister accompanying her brother—waiting at a bus stop intended for their habitual food run. The assailant was seen on camera, following his victim, pulling over at the bus stop, and then assaulting the boy. Despite the intervention attempts by his sister, the man managed to strike the child.
As reported by KTLA, the Morales family has filed a police report seeking justice for their son. The witness who recorded the confrontation, identified as Ashley, recounted the shock of watching the man's aggressive response to the innocent action of the boy, stating, "I was traumatized, I was shaking." Alberto's father, Miguel Morales, seeks to inform the public of his son's propensity to touch objects as a means to understand the world around him, given Alfredo's autism.
Since the video became viral, the community has rallied around the family, with some seeking retribution at the perpetrator's home. Deputies were dispatched to guard the home after allegations of stalking and death threats towards his family arose. Community organizer Laura Diaz told KTLA, "We're here to support and to let the community know that this shouldn't happen, especially with the boy being autistic."
In response to the troubling event and the Morales family's current homeless situation, a GoFundMe has been established to provide assistance. As of now, the assailant has not provided a statement; when contacted by KTLA, he reportedly was out of town. This occurrence has heightened awareness around the treatment of individuals with disabilities, and the Morales family's plea for justice reflects a deeper narrative concerning our society's understanding and accommodation of autism.
