Community members are outraged and have rallied around the family of a boy with autism who was slapped by a man for touching his car.
The incident happened on July 1 as Alfredo Morales, 10, and his older sister were crossing the street in Pacoima.
That’s when Alfredo reached out and touched the emblem on the man’s Mercedes-Benz sedan.
The man made an immediate U-turn and followed the siblings to a bus stop where he pulled over. He walked over to Alfredo who was sitting on a bench and slapped him.
His sister, who was heard apologizing, tried to intervene, but the man still struck the boy.
Cell phone video from a bystander who captured the confrontation has gone viral on social media. Local community members are outraged and some have even shown up at the suspect’s home demanding answers.
The boy’s father, Miguel Morales, said Alfredo has autism and often touches objects around him to explore his environment.
Alfredo’s family, who is currently homeless, said they are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support they’ve received following the incident.
KTLA’s Mary Beth McDade met the Morales family at a Pacoima park and discovered they were living out of a truck that was inoperable.
Every day, the siblings take the bus to make a daily food and grocery run for the family. They were taking their usual bus route when the July 1 confrontation happened.
Now, good Samaritans and local community members are working to help the Morales family get back on their feet.
Alex Manzo created a GoFundMe for the family which continues to grow even after exceeding its goals.
“I don’t know the family [personally],” Manzo said. “I just saw [their story] on Instagram and it got us mad. They need a lot of resources that can help out so everything is helpful and we’re here. We have all the love for the family. They gave us that trust and we’re going to continue to give it all back.”
The story also caught the attention of Los Angeles rapper Swifty Blue who has offered to help fix the family’s broken truck.
“The truck doesn’t run,” Swifty Blue said. “I told them we’re going to fix the transmission, rebuild the transmission, whatever it takes. We’re going to help them get mobile so they don’t have to stay stuck here.”
On July 4, local housing officials met with the Morales family and an attorney, who became aware of the story after Swifty Blue sent him the viral video, is now representing them.
The Morales family had previously said they wanted justice for Alfredo and had filed a police report on the assault.
“I will do anything in my power to help them,” said Antonio Villegas, the family’s attorney. “And I don’t mean just by filing some sort of lawsuit, but by getting them resources to turn this tragic situation into something that helps improve their lives.”
KTLA has identified the male driver involved in the incident but was told he was out of town when we reached out for a statement.
A GoFundMe for the Morales family, who are currently homeless, can be found here.