Attorneys: Mentally Challenged Dearborn Man Is Victim Of Police Brutality

DEARBORN (WWJ) - A local Muslim advocacy group is asking for the U.S. Department of Justice to look into an incident where a mentally challenged Dearborn man was allegedly assaulted by police — and a lawsuit is expected to be filed in the case.

"Personally, when I watched the video, I was horrified," said Dawud Walid, Executive Director for CAIR-MI — the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Walid claims Dearborn police were completely out of line during an encounter with 26-year-old Ali Baydoun in the early morning hours of Dec. 7, 2013.

Baydouen's attorney Amir Makled says his client, who emigrated from Lebanon six years ago, was returning home from his dish washing job just before 5 a.m. when he stopped to fix the chain on his bike.

Speaking to WWJ's Marie Osborne and other reporters Thursday, Makled translated for Baydouen, who speaks limited English.

"He at first felt that they were just going to question him and let him go, and then after that they refused to let him proceed on with his business," Makled said.

When a police officer asked Baydouen to produce identification, things escalated, and much of the action was caught on video.

Throughout the incident, Beydoun screams loudly and repeatedly tells the officers "No" and "Stop it."

"The officer was making an effort to pat him down and then the officer immediately took him to the ground, and he's crying 'I want my mother! I want my mother!'" said Cyril Hall, another attorney for Baydouen.

Within minutes, Hall said, seven more officers were on the scene; and Baydoun, who is "mentally challenged" was kicked by police while he was on the ground.

His attorneys said Baydoun was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital.

Dearborn police said, in a statement, that Baydoun failed to produce an I.D., couldn't say where he'd come from, and resisted during the pat-down. According to a police report, Beydoun continually attempted to reach for his waistband, leading the officer to believe he might have been armed.

Police said the video does not show a complete picture, and an internal investigation showed that all the officers acted properly.

Police also dispute that Baydoun has any diagnosed mental disability. [Read more from police HERE}.