Abusive Arrest of Autistic Child Sparks Investigation of Vacaville Officer

A Vacaville, Calif. police officer is under investigation after a video displaying his abusive arrest of a 17-year-old special needs child was posted to social media.

According to KTVU, police were initially called about an assault with a deadly weapon, alleged to be a knife or pipe. Adam Wolf told local news outlets that his son Preston, who is autistic and has ADHD, was being picked on by another teen and retrieved a metal object to defend himself. The protective father stated the issue was resolved before police arrived. A neighbor’s Ring camera captured what happened between the teen and the responding officer.

Initially, the video showed Preston following the officer’s instructions to sit on the ground. When the officer attempted to handcuff him, Adam said his son’s reaction was related to his autism and the officer went too far.

“When he backed away, that officer felt the need to grab him and throw to the ground and climb on top and punched him in the face,” he explained.

The officer could be heard on the video shouting, “You’re gonna get hurt! Don’t make me hurt you more!”

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Acting Vacaville Police Chief Ian Schmutzler released a statement on Facebook Friday, assuring that department leadership is taking the investigation seriously. They will be reviewing every aspect of the incident. This includes body-worn camera video and dispatch recordings.

He wrote: ”In the dispatch audio, there is a conversation between a dispatcher and a different officer (who was not on the scene) who asked whether the suspect was ‘Preston.’ Our preliminary review of the available video and radio traffic indicates the arresting officer did not have prior knowledge that the suspect was an individual with special needs.”

Preston’s father also released a statement via social media, including the video footage.

Wolf said, “I don’t believe that Preston will ever trust a police officer again. I am pro-police, but I am not pro ABUSE! This individual and department must be held accountable for their actions. NO child, disability or not, deserves to be treated like this.”