In a disturbing incident captured on a viral video, a Mercedes-Benz driver in California slapped an autistic boy after the child reached out and touched the luxury car's hood ornament.
The incident occurred on July 1, 2024, in the Pacoima neighborhood of Los Angeles.
10-year-old Alfredo Morales and his older sister were crossing the street and heading to a bus stop when the incident happened.
As they waited on a bench at the bus stop, young Alfredo reached out and touched the Mercedes-Benz emblem on the front of the luxury sedan, which was stopped at a red light.
Suddenly, the driver, an unidentified man, immediately came back and confronted the two siblings.
In the video, Alfredo's sister quickly apologized to the man and explained in Spanish that her brother is autistic.
"Sorry, he is autistic. He has special needs," she said.
As Alfredo's sister tried to stand between her brother and the angry driver, the man slapped the boy across the face.
Following the slap, the driver got out of his car and examined the front emblem, appearing to move it around before driving off.
They explained that due to their son's autism, he often explores his environment through touch, not understanding the potential consequences.
Alfredo's father is looking for answers and seeking justice for his son. The older Morales said he is going to file a police report into the incident, along with the footage from the video.
According to reports, the 2023 Mercedes-BenZ-class sedan driven by the man was purchased in Valencia, California, in April 2024 and cost around $146,000.
A call was made to the Los Angeles Police Department at the time of the incident, but by the time officers arrived, everyone had left the scene.
That’s assault. And that boy probably didn’t know what he was doing was wrong. There were better ways to deal with it than hurting a child. I hope they file assault charges on the owner, one user said.
Both are wrong. The car owner should never have assaulted the child. And if the child is incapable of keeping his hands to himself then his family should make arrangements for him. He probably leaves a trail of destruction every time he goes out for his walks, the second user
It’s truly unfortunate that our society not only includes an ignorant person who slapped an autistic child, but also has numerous individuals in the comment section supporting this behavior and saying it was deserved, the third user said.
Autism or not, you don't let your child go around damaging or destroying other people's property. The parents need a smack too, another wrote.
