22 Sep Autistic Teen Left Traumatized And Bruised After Officer Mistakes Him For Drug User

We are a diverse nation, and unfortunately some members of society’s differences are not well understood. An estimated 1-in-5 Americans have a disability, and this can make their day-to-day lives harder than they would otherwise be for those without.

That’s why the world was shocked when footage emerged this week of an Arizona officer mistaking an autistic teen for a drug user. Thinking that the teen was under the influence of drugs – when in fact the teen was using a calming technique to ease his nerves – the officer physically wrestled him to the ground, causing him to scream and cry out in terror.

The 14-year-old boy in question, Conor Leibel, had been flicking yarn at his face – a common technique called ‘stimming’ which is used by autism sufferers to calm down and ground themselves.

Autism affects a person’s ability to interpret how other people are feeling and the world around them, which can frequently lead to those with the condition feeling overwhelmed.

Officer David Grossman asked Leibel what he was doing on July 18. When Leibel told Grossman that he was stimming, he was asked if he had any ID on his person. Then the unthinkable happened…

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