Cops Try To Arrest Teen Suffering From Epileptic Seizure At Fast Food Restaurant

Police officers handcuffed a 16-year-old boy suffering from autism in an attempt to arrest him at a fast-food restaurant as he suffered from an epileptic attack.

Lourdes Ponce had gone to an El Pollo Loco fast-food restaurant in Central Fresno, California, with her son, after visiting the doctor, when he suffered an epileptic seizure, ABC30 reported.

According to Ponce, her son had gone to the bathroom when she heard him hit the floor.

"I stood outside the door, I heard him hit the floor, I tried to open the door but it was locked, that's when I asked for help," she told ABC30.

Employees who unlocked the door found her son lying on the floor of the restroom. She then asked her daughter to call 911. Ponce said her daughter called the paramedics for help as her son was not hurting anybody.

However, it was the police who arrived first and attempted to handcuff Ponce’s son. The teenager began to panic and vomit as the police tried to arrest him.

"He saw that my son was throwing up and instead of helping him so that he wouldn't choke on his vomit, they had him on the ground in handcuffs," Ponce told ABC30.

She then ran to her car to fetch the papers to confirm her son’s history of epilepsy to the police officers. Upon seeing the papers, the officers released the teenager and paramedics were able to take him to a hospital for treatment.

He is currently recovering at the Valley Children's Hospital in Madera, California. According to Ponce, the incident with the police has left her son so traumatized that the hospital staff was having a hard time making him receive treatment.

Ponce is furious at the way the incident played out and believes the police should be trained more to handle people having medical emergencies.

Fresno Police released a statement saying the case was under Administrative review.

"This case is currently under Administrative Review. The review will include the examination of all the information pertaining to the officer's contact including Body Worn Cameras,” the statement said.

The teen is expected to recover, however, it is not known when he would be free to leave the hospital.