From dailybreeze.com

The Hawthorne [California] City Council will vote Tuesday night on a proposed $300,000 payout to settle a lawsuit brought by an autistic teenager who was Tasered by a police officer.

If approved, the settlement will mark the end of a federal civil rights lawsuit filed last year by the teen and his father in response to the Sept. 23, 2008, incident at Hawthorne Middle School.

At the time, the boy, whose identity is being withheld because of his age, was a 12-year-old student at the school.

His family has described him as high-achieving and generally able to function well among his peers. But his autism also causes some unique behaviors, like adverse reactions to crowds or change.

Campus security was called after the boy ran away from a group, kicking and spitting.

Police Officer Vincent Arias was also summoned, and used a 25-watt Taser to subdue the boy.

His father, Larry Matthews, filed a complaint at the police station the next day.

Less than a week later, the boy was arrested by officers, who handcuffed him at school. He was charged in Inglewood Juvenile Court, but the case was eventually dismissed.The lawsuit claims the arrest was made in retaliation for the complaint.

At one point the city attempted to have the case dismissed arguing that “the boy was not treated any differently than anybody else because of his disability.”  Sadly the city is correct.  Cops will taser anyone and everyone, even 12 year old autistic boys who need compassionate care and patience, not brute force and uniformed thuggery.