Shocking cellphone video captured the moment an entitled Mercedes owner slapped an autistic boy for touching his car’s hood ornament while the child was walking along a California street on Monday.
Alfredo Morales, 10, was with his older sister crossing the street at Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Osbourne Street in the Pacoima neighborhood of Los Angeles on July 1.
The siblings were heading to a bus stop for their daily food run when young Alfredo reached out and touched the Mercedes-Benz emblem on the front of the luxury sedan when it was stopped at a red light at the intersection, according to KTLA.
The curious grab angered the driver, who made an immediate U-turn and confronted the two sitting on the bus stop’s bench.
“Sorry, he is autistic,” the sister says in Spanish in the video. “He has special needs.”
Morales’ older sister attempted to stand between her brother and the man as a smiling Alfredo reached out to the new visitor.
The older sibling’s attempt at creating a barricade didn’t work as the driver slapped the boy across his face before walking back to his car.
Following the slap, the unidentified driver gets out of his car and examines the front emblem, appearing to move it around before driving off, the cellphone video captured.
Alfredo’s parents told the outlet they were angry about the incident and explained because of their son’s autism, he often explores the environment around him through touch.
Alfredo’s father, Miguel Morales, is looking for answers and seeking justice for his son.
The older Morales, said he is going to file a police report into the incident, along with the footage from the video, according to KTLA.
A call was made to the Los Angeles Police Department at the time of the incident but by the time officers arrived at the bus, everyone was gone, Foz 11 LA reported.
The 2023 S-class sedan was purchased in Valencia in April of 2024 and cost around $146,000, according to the Daily Mail.
