(CNN) A California woman says that instead of helping her 16-year-old autistic son when he was having a series of seizures, Fresno police hit and handcuffed him while the family was at a fast food restaurant.

Lourdes Ponce said her son -- who has epilepsy and autism, according to his family -- started having seizures while he was in the restaurant bathroom Thursday. She wrote about the incident in a Facebook post

Family members called 911 after they tried to help the boy but couldn't get the bathroom door open. Though she had requested medical help, eight police officers showed up, Ponce said.

"The police didn't help David. Instead, he was hit," the boy's sister, Montserrat Ramos, told CNN. "We had explained what his medical problems were, but they didn't understand."

The officers thought he was on drugs, Ponce wrote in her post, which included a video that shows an officer holding the teenager from behind.

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