A San Fernando Valley man accused of slapping an autistic child at a bus stop is scheduled to appear in court Monday.
Scott Sakajian was charged by the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office with intentional cruelty to a child and assault on a person in connection with a July 1 incident involving 10-year-old Alfredito Morales.
The boy touched the emblem on Sakajian’s Mercedes-Benz sedan while Alfredo and his sister Claudia were crossing the street.
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Mr. Sakajian quickly made a U-turn, followed the brothers to a bus stop near Laurel Canyon Drive and Osborne Street, got out of the car, walked to the bench where Mr. Alfredo was sitting, and stopped Alfredo as Claudia tried to intervene. I slapped Mr.
A cellphone video later circulated on social media shows the man punching the boy, who Claudia explains is autistic.
A man walks up to Alfredo Morales, 10, and slaps him in the face after the boy touches the emblem on a Mercedes-Benz sedan in Pacoima on July 1, 2024. (RMG) A man approaches Alfred Morales (10 years old). A police officer slapped a boy in the face after he touched the emblem of a Mercedes-Benz sedan in Pacoima on July 1, 2024. (RMG) A man seen walking towards him On July 1, 2024, in Pacoima, a boy slapped Alfredo Morales, 10, in the face after touching the emblem of a Mercedes-Benz sedan. (RMG) Alfredo Morales searches for a microphone as KTLA’s Mary Beth McDade speaks with his family. July 3, 2024. (KTLA)
The children’s father said the children take the bus to the grocery store every day and were taking their usual route when the crash occurred.
The family, who were homeless at the time and living in a broken-down truck, filed a police report and received an outpouring of support from the community. A GoFundMe campaign and fundraiser allowed the family’s truck to be completely renovated and the family to be temporarily housed in a motel while local authorities relocated them to more permanent housing.
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Sakajian is scheduled to appear in court in person on Monday, and the family’s attorney, Antonio Villegas, said this will be the first time Sakajian has attended a hearing in the case.
Villegas also said the defendant’s attorney filed a motion for judicial reversal.
“Scott Sakajian has done nothing to prove that he deserves a distraction,” Villegas said. “Rather, he is making excuses for his actions.”
If convicted, Sakajian could face six months in prison.
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