Should I ask my friend if her son has autism?

My friend's son seems to have most symptoms of autism. He just turned 13, walks on his tiptoes, won't answer when you ask a direct question, won't look at a person when they're talking, plays video games continually, and will pick an action and do it repeatedly. Recently he grabbed my daughter when she walked into his room and started screaming at her...just because she went in his room. My daughter was in tears then the boy started crying hysterically. My friend never says a word! I think she thinks this is all normal. Is it? Should I bring up the subject of autism? I think she'd rip my head off but I'd like to know and part of me thinks she needs to know so she can take the steps to improve his quality of life. I understand there's no cure but ignoring the problem certainly won't make it better. Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated. The mother is one of my best friends.