Father wants change after his non-verbal autistic son is Tasered in an encounter with Peel police
When Majid Darwich heard police sirens passing by his Mississauga home last week, he instinctively ran upstairs to check his nonverbal abilities. autism My son was still in the room.
His 19 year old wasn’t there.
As soon as Darwich saw the front door left open, he knew his son might have left home and was in trouble.
Mr. Darwich jumped into the car at once, but after passing a few houses he came upon a terrifying sight.
Hi, my son Abdullah Darwich was lying on the ground wearing nothing but shorts and police handcuffs. Darwich said about a dozen Peel area police officers stood around the teenage boy.
“This is a sick boy,” he recalled shouting at the police. “what are you doing?”
“I felt like I was going to have a heart attack,” he said. “I tried to reach out to him…and they prevented me from even hugging him.”
Father wants police to change approach to people with autism
Peel local police said they used a stun gun on Abdullah Darwich after responding to reports of “suspicious individuals” allegedly undressing and trying to break into cars and homes. He said he was unable to communicate clearly with the youth of the country.
Majd Darwich said his son had to be treated in hospital for injuries including bruises on his body and cuts on his face after an encounter with police last Friday.
Darwich said she’s been talking about what happened to her son because she wants to change the way police work with people with autism.
“autism Children are part of our community and they have a right to live. [peaceful] environment,” he said. “It’s not fair that I can’t get him out of the house. autism”
Peel Police said Abdullah Darwich did not respond to them when they arrived at the scene.
“At the time of the incident, the individual’s identity and condition were unknown to officers,” police wrote in a statement.
“The individual was arrested and taken to a hospital for medical treatment and assistance after using a conductive energy weapon.”
Police added that officers from a unit that links residents to community resources later visited the Darwich home to “provide assistance.”
Majid Darwich speculated that his son had slipped out of the house in shorts around 6 p.m. that day and tried to get into a neighbor’s car for warmth.
He said he added his son to the Peel Police Vulnerable Registry to prevent such confrontations with law enforcement. Police did not answer questions about whether the system was in use at the time.
Autism Canada speaks up
His son is now physically recovering, but his mental state remains fragile.
“When he sees a stranger, he starts screaming, runs to his room and puts a blanket over his head,” Darwich said of his son. “He’s very traumatized right now.”
Autism Canada said what happened to the Darwich family was preventable.
“Events like this happening across Canada highlight the importance of mandatory training for all first responders when dealing with emergencies. autism individuals,” the organization wrote.
“Equally important, this situation might not have happened if neighbors everywhere had been educated about autism and had been exposed to a broader view of autism. is. autism Experience and embrace all differences. ”
The Darwich family situation is not an isolated one.
In Alberta, the state’s Serious Incident Response Team is investigating the incident that led to the arrest. autism Teen by St. Albert RCMP. Police said he had received a report on October 2 about a “young man” in Edmonton who was “severely handicapped” or “may be using drugs.”
Eric Lamming, an assistant professor of criminology at Trent University in Peterborough, said many police services are now trained on how to respond to situations involving people with mental health problems, neurodevelopmental disorders and autism. said he was receiving
“There is no statewide order requiring officers to complete additional training in these areas,” Lamming said, adding that a full analysis of what happened with the limited information available is unlikely. is difficult, but it seems the Peel Police could have handled the matter differently.
“It appears that the use of force could have been prevented with proper de-escalation and situational awareness strategies,” he said.
“Abdullah’s injuries are certainly troubling and highlight serious concerns in interactions between police and community members with developmental disabilities.”
Father wants change after his non-verbal autistic son is Tasered in an encounter with Peel police
Source link Father wants change after his non-verbal autistic son is Tasered in an encounter with Peel police
