LA man faces criminal charges for slapping autistic boy, 10, who damaged hood ornament of his $146,000 Mercedes S-Class

A California man has been hit with criminal charges after he slapped an autistic child in broad daylight after the boy allegedly damaged the the emblem on his $146,000 Mercedes-Benz.

Scott Sakajian, of Sun Valley, was caught on camera committing the despicable act against 10-year-old Alfredo Morales in Pacoima on July 1.

The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office has now charged Sakajian with willful cruelty to a child and battery on a person.

In the original clip, captured on a cellphone, 10-year-old Alfredo's Spanish-speaking sister tells the sunglass-clad driver 'sorry, [my brother] is autistic. He has special needs.'

The man, not swayed, proceeds to move towards the siblings, as the woman is seen trying to simultaneously calm the boy and plead his case.

Scott Sakajian, of Sun Valley, was caught on camera committing the despicable act against 10-year-old Alfredo Morales in Pacoima on July 1. The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office has now charged Sakajian with willful cruelty to a child and battery on a person

A GoFundMe was launched for an autistic California boy - 10-year-old Alfredo Morales (pictured lower center) who was slapped in the face by a Mercedes driver after the child had damaged the hood ornament on the car

In the original clip, captured on a cellphone, 10-year-old Alfredo's Spanish-speaking sister tells the sunglass-clad driver 'sorry, [my brother] is autistic. He has special needs' 

Within seconds, the man is standing over the two, and quickly cocks his hand back to hit him. He strikes the boy's face with an open palm, before sternly pointing his finger at the now-cowering youngster.

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Moment Mercedes driver slaps young child with autism for bending hood ornament on his $146k sedan

He then walks off and returns to his car, chest puffed and hands at his sides.

A voice is then heard shouting, in English, 'What the f**k's wrong with you?', after which the man doubles back - this time to survey the damage.

He grabs at the almost-dismembered ornament before again heading to the S-Class's driver's side door in apparent disgust, after which more onlookers shout for someone to intervene.

'No, stop him!' a female voice is heard shouting as he opens the door ready to drive off. He appears to chide another onlooker before taking his seat.

The man then starts the car and speeds away, but not before the person recording  filmed his license plate.

They also shared a still of the man's slightly bent Mercedes insignia, which appeared to be the only damage done to the costly car.

The man, not swayed, proceeds to move towards the siblings, as the woman is seen trying to simultaneously calm the boy and plead his case 

The boy's father, Miguel Morales, revealed to KTLA the boy has autism, and regularly touches objects around him to explore his surroundings.

The damage would cost around $500 to fix. The car itself costs just north of $146,000, and was purchased just over a year ago from a dealership in Southern California, a vehicle history report shows.

Since the incident, a fundraiser was organized to support the family of Morales, who are reportedly without a home, after the father was let go of his job at a restaurant. 

'[Alfredo] has severe Autism and his family is in desperate need of help,' wrote the organizers. 

'Any help would be greatly appreciated by them. They are currently homeless and any help will hopefully help them get into some housing.' 

Within seconds, the man is standing over the two, and quickly cocks his hand back to hit him. He strikes the boy's face with an open palm, before sternly pointing his finger at the now-cowering youngster 

The GoFundMe has raised $93,200 of its $10,000 goal.

Morales' family is currently living out of a truck, KTLA reported. Alfredo and his siblings take the same route every day to get the family's groceries. 

A man named Alex Manzo, a complete stranger, is credited with launching the Gofundme after seeing their plight on social media.

'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.'